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THE HEALING EVANGEL 


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THE HEALING EVANGEL 


BY THE REVEREND 
A. J. GAYNER BANKS, M.A. 


DIRECTOR OF 
THE SOCIETY OF THE NAZARENE 


MOREHOUSE PUBLISHING CO. 
MILWAUKEE, WIS. 
A. R. MOWBRAY & CO., Ltd. 
LONDON 


COPYRIGHT BY 
MOREHOUSE PUBLISHING CO. 
1925 


To My Wire 
WHO PROCLAIMS 
“THE HEALING EVANGEL” 
BY STRENGTH AND SWEETNESS, 
THIS BOOK IS 
AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 





CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTION : 

Cuaptrrer I.—Health, Wealth, and Hotness 
The Etymology of Healing « : 

Cuaptrer Il.—Healing in the Holy Gomi, 
TIO, Cres 

CHapter ITT. Miike Tru ue Nature Of Py Aven 

Cuaprrr I1V.—The Relation Between Sin and 
Disease—Healing of the Paralytic. . . 

Cuapter V.—The Healing of the Deaf Mute . 

CHAPTER VI.—The Impotent Man at the 
Beautiful Gate—A Study in Pe ai 
Methods of Healing . ‘ate 

Cuaprer VII.—Christian Boldness . 

Cuaprer VIII.—The Pragmatic Test : 

Cuapter IX.—The Virtue of Importunity— 
The Syro-Phenician Woman . 

Cuaprmr X.—The Penalty of Sin—The ‘Im. 
potent Man at Bethesda . ; 

CuapterR XI.—The Healing Touch of een 
The Woman with the Issue of Blood . 

CuHaptrer XIJ.—The Importance of Spiritual 
Contacts os) ' 

CHapter XIII.—The Word of Healing—The 
Centurion’s Servant . . 

Cuapter XI1V.—The Threefold Fact of Salva- 
tion : ; 

CHAPTER XV. _The Mission of ‘the Church 


PAGE 


98 


106 
114 


Vill THE HEALING EVANGEL 


Cuaprmr XVI.—Co-operation of Patient and 
Healer—The Man with the Withered Hand 

Cuaprer XVII.—Healing and Thanksgiving 
—The Ten Lepers. . 

CuaptEeR XVIII.—The Romances of the Gospel 

Cuaprer XIX.—Our Deeper Selves . : 

Cuaprer XX.—Should We Believe in Mir- 
acles? 

Cuaprer XXI. apne Method of J esus in Heal- 
ing 

CHAPTER XXII. SB dy. Soul, and Sorine 

Cuaprer XXI1I.—Healing Evangelism ; 

Cuapter XXIV.—The Verdict of the Bishops 
—A Recent Questionnaire . 

Cuapter XXV.—Healing and Its Critics — 
By the Archbishop of Melbourne : 

Cuaptmer XXVI.—A Pastoral Letter on Heal- 
TD io had Bo URLS ep eens hee aa 

Cuapter XXVII.—Metaphysics As An Agency 
In Healing—By the Rev. Elbert B. 
Holmes, B.A... . 

CHAPTER XXVIII. eas inital Healing and the 
Medical Profession—By the Archbishop of 
York : 

CuapTer XXIX. —Rxorcism—By Ww. H. ‘Jef- 
ferys, M.A., M.D. ; 

CHAPTER XXX. ~_-Sipirithal Healing —By the 
Bishop of Aberdeen . . 

Cuaptmer XXXI.—The Goal Bf, the Healing 
Movement—By the Rev. Elbert B. aaah 
B.A. ; ; 

General Bibliography RRA S 
A Note on The Sacrament of Unction 


PAGE 
124 
131 
137 
148 
153 
164 
171 
180 
189 
201 


211 


220 


233 
238 
249 
257 


267 
271 


INTRODUCTION 


HE object of this book is to establish the 
identity of Christian Healing with the whole 
Gospel of the Church. 

Incidentally it undertakes to show the reasonable- 
ness of Healing Evangelism. By this term I mean 
the presentation of the Power to Heal as a part of 
the Saviour’s work for mankind. 

Most of the chapters in this book have been given 
in the form of addresses or instructions by the au- 
thor in Parochial Missions of Healing, and their ac- 
ceptance on these occasions is the only excuse for 
their appearance in book form. 

This volume makes no literary pretensions. Never- 
theless it has a very distinct purpose. This purpose 
is to give to the reader, as far as any vital message 
can be delivered through the medium of a book, the 
stimulus which is ordinarily provided by a Mission 
of Healing. I can hardly expect to accomplish this 
object perfectly, since a Mission depends so much 
upon the human voice and the uplifting atmosphere 
of Praise and Prayer. Nevertheless, the sincere 
seeker will find in these chapters the basic material 
which he would receive from a Mission of Instruc- 
tion and Healing. 

This book does not claim any Churchmanship ex- 
cept that of the Bible and the Prayer Book. The au- 


x THE HEALING EVANGEL 


thor is an Evangelical Catholic, and finds the mes- 
sage which he is privileged to deliver equally accept- 
able in both Evangelical and Catholic parishes. He 
regards the Church’s message of Healing as dis- 
tinctly Sacramental, and this does not mean that it 
is any the less truly Evangelistic. 

Indeed the author humbly regards it as a part of 
his ministry more perfectly to reconcile or synthe- 
size these great Truths for which the Evangelical 
and Catholic parties respectively stand. 

During the summer of 1925, a Mission was held 
in California in a parish which is regarded as a 
stronghold of Anglo-Catholicism. The clergy fully 
appreciated the objects for which the missioner 
came. He was given perfect liberty in delivering his 
message. There was a daily Celebration of the Holy 
Communion. The Reserved Sacrament was on the al- 
tar. Confessions were heard daily. The atmosphere 
was charged with prayer, and the Presence of the 
Holy Spirit was consciously felt. The missioner de- 
livered his message in the simplest possible lan- 
guage; men and women were convicted of sin; many 
professing Christians were moved to true repentance 
and real conversion and made their public profes- 
sion of faith in Christ then and there. There was | 
deep emotion, but absolutely no sensationalism. 
Many renewed their Baptismal vows and came to a 
definite “decision.” More actually experienced con- 
version than those who prayed for healing. 

This very condensed description of a recent Mis- 
sion is given here in order to show the reader that 
it is possible, in actual practice, to combine the best 
elements of Evangelical religion with the full Sacra- 
mental teaching of the Church. It also demonstrates 


INTRODUCTION x1 


that conversion comes before healing in the normal 
order of experience. 

The references to psychology are not accidental. 
With psychological healing as a _ substitute for 
Christian faith, we have little patience. The develop- 
ment of modern cults has been largely the result of 
an exaggerated and excessive use of psychological 
phrases in the field of therapeutics. Popular psy- 
chology has enjoyed an extraordinary vogue, and it 
is much to be regretted that this has given rise to 
much superficial thinking and empirical practice. 
Psychology is a descriptive science, and its value to 
the student of Christian Healing is simply equiva- 
lent to the value which would be derived from the 
study of botany or biology to those who are culti- 
vating trees or flowers or crops. Biology will not 
produce a crop, but it will acquaint the agricultur- 
ist with some of the basic laws which underlie his 
task and will increase his chances of success, other 
things being equal. So it is with religous psy- 
chology. Many people get wonderful results without 
any knowledge whatsoever of this science, because 
they have an intuitive grasp of fundamentals. Let 
them not treat with contempt those who earnestly 
seek for the great principles which underlie all re- 
ligious experience, and let them never suppose that 
psychology is the foe of a free and spontaneous re- 
ligious life. 

If some of the chapters sound a trifle homiletical, 
the reader will pardon this, as these chapters are 
very largely an attempt to commit to paper the 
spoken message. 

A word of explanation is due in regard to chap- 
ters 25 to 31 inclusive. These chapters were origin- 


xi THE HEALING EVANGEL 


ally intended to appear as an appendix to this book, 
but the message they contained is so vital to the 
whole plan that it was felt they should appear as 
chapters standing on their own merits. Each of 
these added chapters represents some important 
phase of the Church’s Healing Evangel not covered 
by the author’s own words, and their inclusion in 
this book is for the purpose of making the argument 
for Healing Evangelism more complete. The author 
wishes to express here his sense of obligation to 
these writers for their contribution to the book. 

One other word is needed. It is in regard to Meta- 
physical Healing. The reader will notice that the au- 
thor has not attempted to deal with this subject. 
Yet he feels it is a vital subject. Many orthodox 
writers carefully avoid this entire subject because it 
is so hedged about with difficulties and because the 
metaphysical point of view is so at variance with 
the orthodox position of the Church. Yet the bit- 
terest critics of the metaphysical movement will 
readily admit that it is producing some wonderful 
cures and some very beneficial results in the lives of 
its followers. The obvious problem is to separate the 
wheat from the chaff; to recognize what is true and 
to repudiate what is false. I did not feel competent 
to attempt this task, yet I regard it as an important 
element in the presentation of the Healing Evangel. 
I therefore requested my friend, the Rev. Elbert B. 
Holmes, B.A., of Natick, Massachusetts, to under- 
take this task for me. This has been done in chap- 
ters 27 and 31. Mr. Holmes has made a very careful 
study of this movement and the reader may judge 
for himself how valuable is this contribution. 

The aim of each chapter is stated for the benefit 


INTRODUCTION xiii 


of Study Circles and is followed by a list of ques- 
tions and a bibliography. Experience shows that this 
is a most valuable method of developing a construc- 
tive interest in the subject of Healing. It is true that 
nothing can take the place of prayer, but it is 
equally true that nothing can take the place of 
earnest study under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 
The author will be glad to hear from individual stu- 
dents or groups who have found this method useful, 
and he will always welcome words of criticism 
which will make a subsequent treatment of this sub- 
ject more profitable. 

This is a textbook for students, but it is sent out 
with the earnest desire and prayer that it may prove 
also to be a real stimulus to faith and prayer. Since 
the completion of this book the author has become 
more and more convinced that the secret of the suc- 
cess of the Early Church in the practice of the Heal- 
ing Ministry is to be found in their attitude of 
prayer and absolute dependence upon the Power and 
Guidance of the Holy Spirit. No amount of study or 
intellectual activity or professional skill can take 
the place of the Power of the Holy Ghost, and if we 
are to heal the sick, as Christ healed them, we must 
prayerfully wait for that “Power from on High” 
which He promised to those who tarried for this 
blessing. May I suggest that Study Circles using 
this book would pray for this “Baptism of the 
Spirit,” and that they will open and close their meet- 
ings with prayer and silence? It will be found that 
the spirit of devotion will greatly strengthen the 
spirit of enquiry, and that the Spirit of Truth is still 
available through prayer to guide us into all Truth. 


xiv THE HEALING EVANGEL 


O Holy Ghost, who givest life to me; 

O Holy Ghost, who givest strength to me; 

O Holy Ghost, who givest gifts to me; 
Who willest all Thy gifts to give to me; 
Who willest I should correspond with Thee; 
O Holy Ghost vouchsafe, to live in me, 

That this my heart may be a home for Thee. 


Spirit of Wisdom, let me learn from Thee 

The falsehoods of the world to leave for Thee; 
Spirit of Understanding, I would be 
Enlightened with the fire that burns in Thee: 
Spirit of Counsel, do Thou set me free 

From tangled judgments that are not of Thee, 
And guide me in the way of liberty. 


From “A Canticle to The Holy Ghost,” published by The Or- 


der of The Holy Cross, West Park, New York. 
A. J. GAYNER BANKS. 


House or THE NAZARENE, 
MouUNTAIN LAKES, NEW JERSEY. 
Feast or THE TRANSFIGURATION, 


1925. 


CHAPTER I 


HEALTH, WEALTH, AND HOLINESS 


The Etymology of Healing 


“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest pros- 
per and be in health even as thy soul prospereth.” Il 
John: 2. 


HIS salutation of St. John gives us an excel- 

lent approach to our subject. The verse, as it 
stands in the King James version, presents a ratio 
or equation between the inner source and the out- 
ward expression of spiritual life. 

Prosperity and health are what we all desire and 
for which we are willing to pay any reasonable price. 
The phrase here given, “even as thy soul prospers” 
(III John, verse 2), shows us the conditions upon 
which prosperity and health may be secured on the 
most satisfactory basis. 

Some knowledge of etymology is needed in order 
to grasp the proper relation which exists between 
holiness and health; i.e., between spiritual well be- 
ing and its outward visible and conscious manifes- 
tation. 

The command, “Be ye holy even as I am holy,” 
is still binding upon us, and we are just beginning 
to learn that God is not setting before us an inac- 


2 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


cessible ideal, but something which we all may reach 
through the power which Christ has given us. 

“Holiness unto the Lord” is a watchword which 
carries new significance when we realize how closely 
holiness is identified with health. Mental and physi- 
cal science are given new meaning and endorsement 
to the scriptural injunction, “Be ye holy,’ and we 
are coming rapidly to the practical grasp of the 
fact that health of body, sanity of mind, and spirit- 
ual integrity, all combine to make the perfect or 
well-balanced man—the man who has attained unto 
the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” 

It is most extraordinary that in our study of the 

Bible, whether that study be critical or devotional, 
we have not more strongly emphasized the fact that 
God is the Author and Source of all life and health, 
no matter by what channel that life may be ex- 
pressed. 
‘ The ministry of healing, therefore, must be a com- 
plete ministry. It must not merely aim at bodily 
health, but must strive to redeem the whole man— 
Body, Soul, and Spirit. 

This idea that God is the Source, Author, and 
Giver of health is not peculiar to the New Testa- 
ment. In Exodus we read: “I am the Lord that 
healeth thee” (Exodus 15: 26); and in Ecclesi- 
asticus 38 we are told that “from the Lord cometh 
healing.” In Psalm 103 David exclaims, “Bless the 
Lord, O my soul, who forgiveth all thy iniquities, 
who healeth all thy diseases, and who saveth thy 
life from destruction.” 

Our English word “heal,” with its cognate forms, 
may easily be traced to the Anglo Saxon “halig” 
and “haelth” and the Greek “6é,os,”’ and so we 


HEALTH, WEALTH, AND HOLINESS 3 


have a variety of words all closely identified, as, 
for example, heal, whole, hale, wholly, holy, healthy, 
ete. 

The English word “well” has a similar etymology. 
Thus we have weal, well, wealth, wealthy, ete., and 
of course the word wealthy strictly signifies well- 
being and not the mere possession of material goods. 

From the Latin derivations we can learn equally 
valuable lessons in regard to health. The two key 
words are “salus”’ and “sanus.” 

From these derivations we have a large stock of 
English words all connected with the health idea; 
for example: salutary, salve, save, and salubrious, 
all of which express shades of the meaning of health. 

The word “salvation” itself bears strongly this 
meaning, and a “saviour” is a bringer of health or 
wholeness. 

The word “sanus” gives us the English equiva- 
lents: sane, insane, sanitation, sanitary, etc., and 
its use is well illustrated in the familiar quotation: 
“Mens sana in corpore sano” (A healthy mind in a 
healthy body). 

It would be an excellent and instructive Bible 
study to seek, with the help of a concordance, all the 
places in the Scriptures in which the above words 
are employed. Such a study would soon convince us 
that Religion and Health have always been very 
closely identified. For those who have not time to do 
this, it is suggested that the single word “salvation” 
be selected and that its true meaning (i.e. whole- 
ness) be remembered. Thus, for example, “The Lord 
is my life and my salvation,’ or “Who healeth all 
thy diseases and saveth thy life from destruction.” 
The idea of health or healing is implied in all Scrip- 


4 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


ture texts where the words save, saviour, or salva- 
tion are used. 

As we seek true salvation, let us remember the 
therapeutic side of the word. Holiness and healthi- 
ness go hand in hand. There can be no permanent 
health except that which embraces the entire nature 
of man. Even the word “sanctity,” with its more 
English form, “saintliness,’ suggests the same domi- 
nant idea; for a saint is a holy person and a holy 
person should be a healthy person. 

Jesus said: “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” 
To Zacchaeus He said: “This day is salvation come 
to thine house,” and “The Son of Man came to seek 
and save that which was lost.” 


HEALTH, WEALTH, AND HOLINESS 5 


AIM: To understand the close identity which exists 
between spiritual health and physical well-being. 
Also to grasp the significance of the words used 
in this connection—in other words, the “Ety- 
mology” of Healing. 


QUESTIONS: 


4 ie 


2. 


What is the equation stated in our text? 

What determines the health of each man or woman? 

Can we expect reasonably to obey the injunction, “Be 
ye holy?” 

Would such obedience make us ascetic or unbal- 
anced? 

Name one person in contemporary or Bible history 
whom you could regard as “holy” in the best sense. 


. Does “the measure of the stature of the fullness of 


Christ” (See Ephes. 4:18) refer only to spiritual 
growth? 


. What should be the aim in the Ministry of Healing? 
. What is the authority in the Old Testament Scrip- 


tures for Divine Healing? 


. Give (in one sentence if possible) brief definitions of 


the following words :— 

Heal, Whole, Hale, Wholly, Holy, Weal, Wealth, Saint, 
Sanctity, Salutary, Sane, Salve, Salubrious, Salva- 
tion. 

What is the common idea running through all of them? 


. What do you understand by the following verses :— 


(a) “Who healeth all thy diseases” (Psalm 103: 3) 
(Strictly speaking, can a disease be healed?) 

(b) “Who saveth thy life from destruction” (Ps. 
103: 4). 

(c) “This day has salvation come to thy house.” 

(d) “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” 

(e) “Thy faith hath saved thee.’ 

(f) “From the Most High cometh healing.” 
(Read Ecclesiasticus 38: 1-15 from the Apoc- 
rypha.) 


6 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Body and Soul, Percy Dearmer, chapters 32-33. 
Health and Religion, Claude O’Flaherty, chapter 3. 
The Mount of Vision, Bishop Brent, chapter 7. 

The Christian Doctrine of Health, Lily Dougall. 
The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 3. 


CHAPTER II 
HEALING IN THE Hoty COMMUNION 


HE identity established in Chapter I, between 

Health and Holiness will be quickly recognized. 
But it is so general in character that the earnest 
seeker after health and healing may well enquire, 
“But how can I so cultivate holiness in this larger 
sense as to ‘prosper and be in health’ in accordance 
with the ratio indicated in Chapter [?” 

Many answers might be given in reply to this per- 
fectly valid question, and it suggests a problem the 
solution of which is very vital to the well-being of 
Christian people. 

It is proposed, however, in this section to offer a 
single suggestion as to how we may establish in 
practice what has already been established in theory 
as to the identity between spiritual health and physi- 
cal well-being; and we find this suggestion already 
worked out for us in the service of Holy Communion 
as set forth in the Book of Common Prayer. As the 
final appeal here is to the words of our Lord as given 
in Holy Scripture, and as He Himself is the real 
Health-Bringer, we respectfully ask the careful at- 
tention of non-Anglican readers as well as Angli- 
cans in this little study of the Ways and Means of 
Spiritual Health. 


8 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


We shall use the phraseology of the American 
Prayer Book, but the principle to be established is 
just as definitely stated in the English and Scottish 
liturgies and readers are urged to seek out the refer- 
ences given in their own prayer books. 

Let us first ask, What is a Sacrament? And we 
find the simplest answer in the Church Catechism in 
the familiar words: “. .. . an outward and visible 
sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto 
us; ordained by Christ Himself, as a means whereby 
we recewe the same.” A careful reading of this 
definition will convince us that the true nature of 
a Sacrament may be expressed in the old phrase, 
“a means of grace,” and the uninitiated reader will 
then enquire for a definition of this term. This we 
will give in the words of Archdeacon Basil Wilber- 
force, who writes: “Means of grace, accessible chan- 
nels of spiritual power, outward signs imparting in- 
ward life, what are they? In a universe, which, could 
we but read all its secrets, we should recognize as 
one vast Sacrament of God, how can we particular- 


Side Seale Obviously, therefore, when the question is 
asked, What are Means of Grace, as the expression 
is used in the Liturgy of the Church, it is necessary — 
to descend from the transcendentalism of vision- 
seeing poets and fix our attention on the recognized 
Sacraments of the Gospel, instituted by Christ Him- 
self, as a means whereby we receive His grace, and 
a pledge to assure us thereof, and especially to the 
Central Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.” (cf. The 
Power That Workest in Us, pp. 80-82.) 

It will be possible here only to indicate this golden 
thread of Health which runs all through the Eucha- 


HEALING IN THE HOLY COMMUNION 9 


ristic Office and we must leave each interested 
reader to work out the theme for himself. 

Much will depend upon the attitude in which the 
worshipper approaches this life-giving Sacrament. 
Just as the faith which heals has been elsewhere 
described as an “attitude of eager expectancy,” so 
if the worshipper comes to Communion with “spe- 
cial intention” for healing, a similar attitude must 
be present in his heart. The appeal of the service 
will come to the sick soul as well as to the sick 
body, very much as it was expressed a century ago 
in the beautiful hymn of Thomas Moore: 


“Come ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish ; 
Come to the mercy-seat, fervently kneel; 

Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish; 
Earth hath no sorrow that heaven cannot heal. 


“Here see the Bread of Life; see waters flowing 
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above; 

Come to the Feast of Love; come, ever knowing 
Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.” 


Our original text found in Section I. is from St. 
John’s third epistle, verse 2, where we discover that 
legitimate prosperity and health are in direct ratio 
to the condition of the spiritual and psychic facul- 
ties. It is natural then that we should find in the 
preliminary prayer in the Communion office a peti- 
tion for inward cleansing: “Cleanse the thoughts of 
our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit.” 
And since sickness is the by-product of sin, and sin 
itself is the transgression (or neglect) of God’s 
law, it is reasonable that we should review God’s 
moral law as set forth in the decalogue and seek 
forgiveness for our infractions thereof. Therefore we 


10 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


pray, “Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our 
hearts to keep this law.” Having thus brought our 
lives before the searching test of the moral law, we 
further recognize the salutary value of the Law of 
the Lord as the quickening principle in our lives by 
asking further that our entire selves be brought 
into alignment with God’s beneficent will for us. 
And so we pray further as follows: 

“QO Almighty Lord and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we 
beseech Thee, to direct, sanctify, and govern, both our hearts 
and bodies, in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of 
Thy commandments; that through Thy most mighty pro- 
tection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body 


and soul; through our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 
Amen.” 


This expresses in advance the ultimate goal to be 
attained, which will be finally declared in the solemn 
words of administration, “Preserve thy body and 
soul unto everlasting life.” 

The etymology of this word preserve is very in- 
teresting. It is a very old word and originally meant, 
“To keep safe, sound, or whole.” The reader wiil 
quickly recognize the therapeutic value of these 
beautiful words as used in the Liturgy. 

2. Having thus discovered the purpose of this 
Sacrament, namely to preserve us in body and soul, 
let us proceed to enquire as to its Nature. Briefly we 
may describe this Sacrament as preéminently bio- 
logical. 

The old school of thought interpreted religion 
theologically ; the modernist interprets it psychologi- 
cally, and neither of them has sufficiently stressed 
_ the biological significance of religion. 

The grace of God, whether sacramentally con- 


\\ 


HEALING IN THE HOLY COMMUNION 11 


veyed or mystically received, is a potential of life; 
it is supremely biological. And so in the Nicene 
Creed we solemnly affirm this fact when we say, “I 
believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of 
Life.” 

We are invoking a Divine Energy when we seek 
for healing in the Holy Communion, and the modus 
operandi whereby Christ fulfils His promises to His 
followers is by sending to them the Holy Ghost, the 
Comforter (or Energiser); see St. John 14:16, 
25-26; St. John 16:14; Acts 2: 4. 

As time goes on and the results of various branches 
of research are correlated we shall probably dis- 
cover that what the Scientist and Philosopher call 
Cosmic Energy—that creative and healing force in 
Nature—is precisely identical with what in the more 
reverent terminology of Religion we call the Holy 
Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity, to 
whom we refer when we say, “I believe in the Holy 
Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life.” 

3. AS we pray for the “Church Militant” we es- 
pecially desire that men may hear and receive God’s 
Holy Word. Christ Himself is God’s Holy Word, 
and this is of the very essence of the Incarnation; 
but we remember, too, that in the days of His flesh 
Jesus spoke directly and positively the “Word”’ 
which released men from their sins and made them 
whole in their bodies. “Speak the word only and 
My servant shall be made whole.” 

4. But only the penitent soul can hear this word. 
Before the Centurion can say “Speak the word only,” 


he first says: “Lord, I am not worthy ... .” So we —— 


find that the prerequisite for healing is a full and 
thorough confession of our sins, and therefore the 


12 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


Church exhorts us to a definite act of penitence in 
the words of the Shorter Exhortation: “Ye who do 
truly and earnestly repent you of your sins..... 
and intend to lead a new life.... walking from 
henceforth in His holy ways ..... draw near with 
faith, and .... make your humble confession to 
Almighty God.” This act of confession, honestly and 
deliberately made, will prove to be one of the most 
salutary things in our whole experience of spiritual 
healing. In the public and private practice of the 
Ministry of Healing the author has found the act 
of confession with the subsequent Sacrament of Ab- 
solution to be of inestimable benefit to many souls 
seeking relief from their sufferings, whether physi- 
cal, mental, or spiritual, Even now we are only be- 
ginning to realize the subtle connection between 
our Lord’s words, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee,” 
and the subsequent exhortation, “Arise, take up thy 
bed, and walk.” See notes on this miracle in Chap- 
ter ITI. 

Many a heart has been flooded with peace, many 
a burden carried for half a lifetime has fallen mi- 
raculously from the tired shoulders, as for the first 
time the penitent seeker has listened to the words 
of Absolution, 


“Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who of His great 
mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all those who 
with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto Him, have 
mercy upon you; pardon and deliver you from all your sins; 
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness; and bring you 
to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.” 


5. The Healing of Christ’s Body. 
The Prayer of Humble Access, however, brings us 
almost to the innermost secret of sacramental heal- 


HEALING IN THE HOLY COMMUNION 13 


ing. We have learned how sin leaves its ugly marks 
upon our bodies and how disease is the outward and. 
visible sign of an inward and spiritual corruption. 
Here we find the nature of the Divine Remedy clearly 
stated. Our bodies are to be cleansed and healed by 
contact with His Body. 

“Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh 
of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink His blood, that 
our sinful bodies may be made clean by His Body, and our 


souls washed through His most precious blood, and that 
Wwe may evermore dwell in Him, and He in us.” 


Read slowly and prayerfully through this simple 
and impressive invitation and you will see (as Miss 
Tulloch has pointed out for-us in her excellent book- 
let, Come unto Me) that this Exhortation brings to 
our memory the Syro-Phenician woman who, feeling 
her unworthiness to ask for the greater gift desired, 
begged for the crumbs that fell from the master’s 
table—the portion of a dog. And how gloriously her 
prayer was answered! After her faith had been 
stimulated by apparent rebuffs and opposition, it 
was then wonderfully honored and rewarded by the 
Saviour, who granted her request in the words: “O 
woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as 
thou wilt.” “And her daughter was made whole from 
that very hour.” 

So shall we come as humble suppliants for heal- 
ing as we approach the Christian Altar of Christ’s 
sacramental Presence. 

Whether you regard the Prayer of Consecration 
as a piece of beautiful and instructive symbolism, 
or whether you accept the full Catholic teaching and 
regard this prayer (offered as prescribed in the 
Prayer Book) as investing the sacred elements with 


14 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


a sacramental presence not previously possessed, 
the inference is the same, and we all exclaim with 
Hooker: 


“Whate’er Thy word doth make it, 
That I believe and take it.” 


And what does His word make it? 
The words of the Prayer of Consecration give us 
the answer: 


“That we, receiving them (ie. “Thy gifts and creatures 
of bread and wine’) according to Thy Son our Saviour 
Jesus Christ’s holy institution, in remembrance of His death 
and passion, may be partakers of His most blessed Body 
And Blood eG eae Fy es Grant that by the merits and 
death of Thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in His 
Blood, we, and all Thy whole Church, may obtain remis- 
sion of our sins, and all other benefits of His passion.” 


“All other benefits’! Surely and logically this in- 
cludes healing, as is elsewhere apparent both from 
the Scriptures and from the language used in the 
Communion service itself. 

“By His stripes we are healed.” (I. Peter 2: 24.) 
Not, of course, by the literal stripes on His physi- 
cal body, but by the whole self-offering of Himself 
on our behalf of which His sufferings and death 
formed a vital and necessary part. 

Here we reach the climax. The great drama of the 
Atonement is accomplished. It is a finished act, and 
yet it is being constantly reénacted in the life and 
consciousness of each individual believer. It is a 
progressive and perpetual Sacrifice which must be 
apprehended for each individual in the present tense 
and in the first person, for only so can we realize 
our Lord as the Personal Saviour who loved us and 
gave Himself for us—as though there were no others 


HEALING IN THE HOLY COMMUNION 15 


on earth. The missionary who most convincingly 
presents Christ to others and so leads them to Life 
Eternal is precisely the one who has first realized 
the saving power of Christ in his own life. 

When once this has become a reality in our own 
lives, we may go on with the utter abandon of self- 
surrender and exclaim in the subsequent words of 
the Liturgy: “And here we offer and present unto 
Thee, O Lord, our selves, owr souls and bodies, to be 
a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto Thee...” 

By an acceptance of Christ as thus set forth, we 
immediately enter into a new phase of Christian liv- 
ing; and so the words which follow become experi- 
mentally true for each one of us: “filled with Thy 
grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body 
with Him, that He may dwell in us and we in Him.” 

This represents that stage in Christian develop- 
ment to which St. Paul refers when he says: “TI live, 
yet no longer I, but Christ liveth in me.” 

All this will be consciously or sub-consciously 
realized if we have entered thus into the fuller reali- 
zation of what we are doing as we come to the Altar 
for Holy Communion. And so the oft-repeated words 
will ring with a new note of reality as the Priest 
ministers to us the Sacred Elements and says: 


“The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ............ pre- 
serve thy body and soul unto everlasting life........ feed 
on Him in thy heart by faith.” 

“The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.......... preserve 
thy body and soul unto everlasting life............ and be 
thankful.” 


No printed words can possibly express what the 
soul experiences in this sacred act of Holy Commu- 
nion. 


16 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


The prayer of Thanksgiving which follows the ad- 
ministration gives us a glimpse of the possibilities 
which lie ahead for the devout soul who has actually 
achieved the joy of a real and conscious contact 
with His Lord through this sacramental approach: 


“Almighty and everlasting God, we most heartily thank 
Thee, for that Thou dost vouchsafe to feed us who have 
duly received these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food 
of the most precious Body and Blood of Thy Son our 
Saviour Jesus Christ, and dost assure us thereby of Thy 
favor and goodness towards us, and that we are very mem- 
bers incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son.” 


How can we entertain the thought of disease and 
corruption when we contemplate our bodies as 
temple shrines of Christ’s own Body? We are to be 
living sacrifices’”—“living epistles, known and read 
of all men”; we are to be incorporated members 
of the Church “which is His Body.” 

If Christ so dwell in us, and if our life in Him is 
constantly renewed by faith and prayer and by 
sacramental food, then our very bodies must become 
Spiritualized and changed, and the ultimate identity 
between holiness and health with which we started 
out will become a practical and glorious reality for 
each one of us. 

This little study on Sacramental healing is in no 
sense intended to belittle or question other methods 
of spiritual or mental healing, nor is it intended to 
express doubt concerning the power of God to heal 
in direct answer to prayer, whether premeditated, 
ejaculatory, or vicarious. As Wilberforce wisely puts 
it: 

“Direct Divine action as an argument against Sacramen- 
tal grace, is a mere Shibboleth of a misunderstood Pan- 


HEALING IN THE HOLY COMMUNION 17 


theism. Direct Divine action was the immanent life and 
substance of every bush and tree in the days of Moses, but 
he knew it not, till it glowed forth into manifestation in 
one bush. That bush was a temporarily provided Sacrament 
to Moses of the immanence of God in all nature. Direct 
Divine action is the omnipresence of God in whom we live 
and move and have our being, but this presence of God was 
unthinkable as a personal, moral force, till it was manifest 
in the flesh, till it assumed an outward visible sign. 

“Vague talk about ‘direct Divine action,’ as an argument 
against Sacramental grace, is misleading; it annihilates 
the Incarnation, and sublimates the Christ away into the 
Absolute, and leaves you to adore an Omnipotent Abstrac- 
tion, a diffused, impersonal Principle, as vague as electric- 
ity, as undefinable as steam, as unknowable as the Réntgen 
CA recs PW ale ee os Jesus, therefore, is the Sacrament of the 
Absolute, and He appointed the Holy Eucharist to be the 
Sacrament of Himself, to be the revealed touch-point of 
His real Presence, to be the manifested means of grace 
through which the spirit of man is reinvigorated, recharged 
by His very life. 

“The whole Universe is the Word of the Father in dif- 
fusion ; 

“The man Christ Jesus is the Word of the Father in 
Incarnation ; 

“The Blessed Sacrament is the Word of the Father in 
concentration.” 


18 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To emphasize the note of health which runs 
through the service of Holy Communion. 


QUESTIONS : 


1. 


to 


Have you ever thought of health (or specially de- 
sired it) when attending Holy Communion or re- 
ceiving the Sacrament? 

Is the idea of health inherent in the Eucharistic 
office, or are we trying to read something into it 
which is not actually there? 

Chapter 2 must be read through before answering this. 


. Mention four sentences (at least) in the Communion 


office which you think would help a seeker after 
health who believes that our Lord is actually pres- 
ent in this Sacrament to heal the sick. 


. What would be the effect on the seeker (mentioned in 


Question 3) if he came to Holy Communion for 
healing, but ignored the Confession and Absolution? 


. Since thoughts are potent to produce health or. di- 


sease, how may we expect cleansing from wrong 
thoughts? 


. How do you understand (and apply) the words, 


“Preserve thy body and soul unto Everlasting Life”? 


. What actual physical benefit do we pray for in the 


Prayer of Humble Access? 


. What are we to do with our souls and bodies after 


they have been healed? (This question may be 
answered in the words of the Liturgy). 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Health and Religion, O’Flaherty, chapter 10. 

“Come Unto Me,’ Ethel E. Tulloch. 

The Sacrament of Healing, John Maillard, chapter 8. 

The Divine Antidote, F. N. Riale, chapter 7. 

The Power That Worketh In Us, Basil Wilberforce, page 79. 
Spiritual Healing and The Holy Communion, G. W. Douglas. 
The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 18. 

Concerning Prayer, Canon B. H. Streeter, chapter 9. 

The Living Touch, Dorothy Kerin, page 6-14. 

Body and Soul, Dearmer, pages 250, 369, 384, 385-7, 399-400. 


CHAPTER HI 


THE TRUE NATURE OF PRAYER 


“And when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father 
which is in secret, and thy Father which seeth in secret, 
shall reward thee openly.” St. Matt. 6:6. 


ANALYSIS OF PRAYER (Five Component Parts) : 
MEDITATION 
DESIRE 
PETITION 
FaiTH 
THANKSGIVING 


HE subject of Prayer is so profound that it 

seems little more than presumption to attempt in 
one chapter to give this subject any adequate treat- 
ment. However, the following thoughts, which have 
been frequently presented in the form of an address, 
have been received so kindly by those who have 
heard them, that it seems expedient to print them 
here. 

Readers are asked to bear in mind that while we 
are really thinking of Prayer in regard to Spiritual 
Healing, nevertheless this does not differ from other 
kinds of successful prayer. We do not use one kind 
of prayer for temporal blessings, and another for 
the healing of our infirmities. To pray at all we 
must grasp the fundamental principles of prayer, 


20 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


and, when once this has been done, we shall be able 
to use our knowledge in any direction that may be 
necessary. 

In his book, The Open Secret, Dr. Robert F. Hor- 
ton tells us that a complete prayer has five parts, 
though we may be quite unconscious of this fact 
when we pray. These five parts are given above and 
form the component elements of every complete 
prayer. If we feel that our prayers are futile, inade- 
quate, dead, uninspiring, or beside the mark, it is 
probable that one or more of these five parts is ab- 
sent from our devotions. It is my conviction that 
meditation is by far the most important and the 
most neglected of these five elements, and that is 
why this chapter is devoted mainly to that side of 
prayer which deals with meditation. When once this 
is mastered and we can control our meditation, the 
desires which are born of such contemplative periods 
will be true desires and in harmony with the Will 
of God. It will then be the most natural thing to 
convert this desire into petition, and the conviction 
that we are asking “according to His will” will in- 
spire in us that faith which is of the essence of sue. 
cessful prayer. And, since true faith always brings 
about the answer to our prayers, the complete act 
of devotion will most properly conclude with an 
act of thanksgiving. Indeed, some consider that 
thanksgiving is another word for realization, and 
that we should begin to give thanks immediately af- 
ter the prayer is completed and before the results 
are visibly apparent. 

M. Auguste Sabatier thinks the whole of religion 
consists in prayer. This may be an exaggeration, 
but prayer certainly is the greatest part of religion. 


THE TRUE NATURE OF PRAYER 21 


The more practical side of religion, as, for example, 
Christian Social Service, Christian Healing, Rescue 
Work, and Religious Education, all of which have 
to do with our duty towards our neighbor, becomes 
more clear in the light of prayer, and through prayer 
we receive the stimulus and power to do what other- 
wise we could not do. 

Clement of Alexandria says: “The prayers God 
hears are the thoughts within our minds”; and T. H. 
Green describes prayer as “a wish referred to God.” 

It would be easy to multiply definitions of prayer 
taken from the writings of the Fathers and more 
modern Saints, and to show how rich is the litera- 
ture of prayer, but the distressing fact still con- 
fronts us that the mere reading of books about 
prayer does not necessarily give us a practical grasp 
of the subject for ourselves to be used experimen- 
tally. Unfortunately, prayer is regarded by many 
Christians as a conventional act of worship, and 
many of our formularies rather encourage this con- 
ventional regard for prayer. Just for example, we 
read in The Shorter Catechism, “Prayer is the of: 
fering up of our desires unto God for things agree- 
able to His will, in the name of Christ, with confes- 
sion of our sins and thankful acknowledgment of 
His mercies.” Nothing could be more correct than 
this statement, and yet, who among us would be 
greatly inspired to pray by this definition ? 

Much nearer to the heart of mankind and much 
more stimulating to the devotional life is such a 
phrase as the following, taken from the opening sec- 
tion of the Confessions of St. Augustine, “Thou hast 
made us for Thyself, and we are ever restless until 
we find our rest in Thee.” Or that other exalted gem 


22 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


of devotion, taken from the writings of St. Anselm 
in the Eleventh Century: 

“Q Lord our God, grant us grace to desire Thee with our 
whole heart, that so desiring we may seek and find Thee; 


and so finding Thee may love Thee, and loving Thee may 
hate those sins from which Thou hast redeemed us. Amen.” 


William James has some most valuable things to 
say about prayer in his book, The Varieties of Relig- 
ious Haperience, especially in Lecture XIX. Among 
other things he says: “The reason why we pray is 
simply that we cannot help praying’; and he also 
quotes Sabatier, who declares: “Prayer is religion in 
action, that is real religion.” 

So we learn that prayer is a natural instinct; but, 
like all other instincts, it needs training and develop- 
ing. Prof. Ward says experience is “growing expert 
by experiment,” and it is certainly true that con- 
stant practice or experiment is the method by which 
we are to become expert in prayer. 

Meditation is the mental part of prayer. One 
author (R. F. Horton) gives a very helpful illustra- 
tion of this, taken from astronomical photography. 
A prepared sensitized plate is placed in the base 
of the lens of a huge telescope; the telescope is then 
focused upon the distant star which is to be photo- 
graphed. The telescope is mounted on a metal 
base, which revolves by clockwork, and which can be. 
adjusted to move synchronously with the celestial 
body which is to be photographed. The photograph 
is actually made by the light of the star itself, 
though the exposure takes many hours. So it is with 
the soul of man which is consciously directed 
toward God in meditation. During the hour of medi- 
tation, the purpose of God will be impressed upon 


THE TRUE NATURE OF PRAYER 23 


the sensitive mind and heart of the true believer 
and His will becomes clear, through the light which 
is found alone in His presence. An astronomical 
photograph could not be made in a few minutes. It 
takes hours! Recall the great souls at prayer, and 
remember how much time they devoted to the culti- 
vation of God’s presence. Read Brother Lawrence’s 
little classic, The Practice of the Presence of God, 
and try to realize how these men became Saints and 
experts in prayer because they were able to forget 
all earthly things in the contemplation of the Eter- 
nal. 

Prayer may become a- habit, and an excellent 
habit, but the earlier stages are difficult because 
of the contrary attractions of earthly things. We 
must learn to set our affection on things above. 
“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Right- 
eousness, and all these things shall be added unto 
you.” So said the Master Himself, who was an adept 
in prayer; and St. Paul shows us the practical 
value of meditation when he exclaims: “Finally, 
brethren, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever 
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatso- 
ever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good 
report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any 
praise, think on these things.” (Phil. 4:8.) 

When you have thus meditated, your mind will 
become filled with those things that God has pre- 
pared for you, and which He has fitted you to en- 
joy. These desires will crystallize into simple but 
effective petitions. The reality of God will fill your 
soul with a wonderful faith (“the substance of 
things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’’), 
and the consummation of your desires will be real- 


24 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


ized in such manner that you will spontaneously 
lift your soul again to God in a song of glad thanks- 
giving for His marvellous dealings with you, and 
you will go back to your family, your work, your 
earthly problems, day by day, with a song in your 
heart and a happiness in your soul that shall make 
God a living reality to you. 

The writer still remembers a verse committed to 
memory as a child, and which was inscribed on an 
illuminated card and hung over his bed. It aimed 
at securing reality in prayer and read as follows: 


“Lord Jesus make Thyself to me 

A living, bright reality; 

More present to faith’s vision keen 
Than any outward object seen; 

More dear, more intimately nigh, 
Than e’en the sweetest earthly tie!” 


When you have made your meditation and offered 
your prayer, then wait—wait for God to answer, 
and do not be in a hurry. The answer may not be 
what you desire, but in this case the Spirit of Truth 
will show you why it was not expedient for your 
prayer to be answered; and it may be that you will 
then be able to offer a better and truer prayer, which 
shall be abundantly fulfilled. Let us realize what a 
wonderful resource we have in the practice of prayer, 
and let us learn how to pray by simply exercising 
this faculty which God has given to us. 


“Lord, what a change within us one short hour 
Spent in Thy presence will avail to make! 
What heavy burdens from our bosoms take; 

What parched grounds refresh as with a shower! 


THE TRUE NATURE OF PRAYER 25 


We kneel, and all around us seems to lower; 

We rise, and all the distant and the near 

Stands forth in sunny outline, brave and clear! 
We kneel, how weak! We rise, how full of power! 
Why, therefore, should we do ourselves this wrong, 
Or others, that we are not always strong; 

That we are ever overborne with care, 

That we should ever weak or heartless be, 
Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, 

And joy and strength and courage are with Thee?’ 

(ARCHBISHOP TRENCH ) 


26 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To try to analyze Prayer in order to grasp 
more successfully its meaning and method. Also 
to discover how to make Prayer a practical force 
in one’s life, whether for healing or for spiritual 
growth. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. In giving the five component parts of Prayer, what 
explanation is given of this particular order? 

2. Which do you consider the first in order of importance 
and which would you place second? 

3. Is petition alone really Prayer? 

4. What is the essence of successful Prayer? 

5. What should distinguish the “Church worker’ from 
other humanitarian workers? 

6. How may we become more expert in Prayer? 

7. Why is Meditation necessary to real Prayer? 

8. Does Prayer for healing differ from other kinds of 
successful Prayer? 

9. Do you believe that Prayer is always answered? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Health and Religion, O'Flaherty, chapter 13. 

Handbook of Divine Healing, J. T. Butlin, chapters 5, 6, 15. 

The Power to Heal, H. B. Wilson, chapters 3 and 4. 

The Meaning of Christian ‘Healing, G. F. Weld, page 33. 

The Christian Doctrine of Health, Lily Dougall, chapters 16, 17 and 
20. 

The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 27. 

Back to Christ, Sir William Willcocks. 

Hope, A. W. Hopkinson, chapter 11 and Appendix (Intercession). 

The Soul’s Sincere Desire, Glen Clark. 

Spirit Power, May T.. Churchill. 

Concerning Prayer, B. H. Streeter, chapters 3 and 11. 

Christianity and Psychology, F. R. Barry, chapter 5. 

Washington Conference Reports, page 26 (Soc. of the Nazarene.) 

The Meaning of Prayer, H. HE. Fosdick. 

The Ministry of Intercession, Andrew Murray. 

A Study of Intercession, David Jenks. 

Creative Prayer, EH. Herman. 

Prayer As a Force, A. Maude Royden. 

With Christ in the School of Prayer, Andrew Murray. 


CHAPTER IV 


THE RELATION BETWEEN SIN AND DIsEASE. A STUDY 


IN VICARIOUS FAITH. 


The Healing of the Paralytic 


St. Matt 9:1-8 - 
St. Mark 2: 3-12 
St. Luke 5: 18-26. 


“Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy 
sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, 
and walk?” St. Mark 2:9. 


THE FACTS: 

1. Unable to walk, the man is brought on a bed by his 
friends. 

2. Responding to “their faith,” Jesus at once begins the 
cure. 

3. The sick of the palsy is cured by declaring to him his 
release or absolution from his sins. 

4, The Scribes accuse Jesus of blasphemy. 

5. Jesus virtually asserts that forgiveness of sins and 
healing of diseases are identical. 

6. Jesus says their criticism is due to their negative 

thinking; Why think ye evil in your hearts? 

7. The man is urged to po something to prove the valid- 
ity of his cure. “Arise, take up thy bed, and go 
unto thy house.” 

8. The man obeys the command of Jesus and goes home 
cured. 

9. The multitudes marvel and praise God for His mani- 


fested power. 


28 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


[cae from this story that sin and disease are. 
inextricably bound up together. Sin produces 
disease, and disease produces suffering and discom- 
fort and all the processes of decay and disintegra- 
tion and corruption—and these finally culminate in 
death. In studying this story, our best definition for 
sin is taken directly from the Bible—“Sin is the 
transgression of the law.” So that sin, according to 
this definition, is not always a matter of conscious 
moral delinquency. Many of our sins are due to igno- 
rance, and the law, being inexorable in its working, 
causes us to suffer for these sins of omission and 
ignorance as well as for the more flagrant infrac- 
tions of the moral law. 

We should remember that the laws of hygiene and 
physical health are indeed divine laws, and we 
should not treat them as if they were entirely out- 
side the scope of the Divine Economy. 

If sin is thus found to be the super-inducing cause 
of disease, it logically follows that repentance has 
a definitely therapeutic value. The first step towards 
healing or the return to normal conditions is by re- 
pentance, ie., the conscious turning away from self 
and sin, and a deliberate turning towards God. 

In the story before us, we do not know the diagno- 
sis of this case of paralysis, but it is obvious that 
the palsy had its origin in some sin, and our Lord 
proceeds, without any explanations, to strike at 
the cause of the whole trouble. With wonderful di- 
rectness, and employing that word of power which 
is one of the proofs of His Divinity, He says to the 
sick man, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” 

Those who still argue that disease is sent by God 
will have great difficulty in proving their thesis 


RELATION BETWEEN SIN AND DISEASE 29 


from the New Testament narrative. Wherever He 
goes, Jesus strikes at the root of disease just as 
surely and just as incisively as He strikes at the 
roots of sin. Both are the results of disobedience to 
His Father’s law, both must be corrected and cured; 
and the work of curing disease is not relegated to 
some subordinate place in His Ministry, but is one 
of the most striking parts of His entire work on 
earth. Thus St. Luke admirably sums up His work 
in the words, “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with 
the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about 
doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of 
the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38). 
Pain and suffering may have their legitimate and 
divinely appointed uses, but disease is never sent 
by God. If we want to make any progress in spiri- 
tual healing we must get this fact deep into our 
subconscious thinking, in other words, deep into 
our hearts. Pain and discomfort may indeed prove 
beneficent finger-posts, warning us that something 
is wrong, and urging us to make the needful adjust- 
ments. Incidentally they may also invoke some of 
the more heroic qualities of human nature, but this 
does not lend any support to the heresy that disease 
is sent by God. In many cases confession of sin, 
acknowledgment of our infraction of Nature’s 
(God’s) laws, will suffice to bring us back into har- 
mony and agreement. 

Calvinism rightly taught the grand doctrine of 
the sovereignty of God, but it also developed a the- 
ology of fatalism contrary to the teaching of Christ, 
and depending upon a too literal presentation of 
the earlier chapters of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Ro- 
mans. It taught (and still teaches) that disease is 


30 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


to be regarded as the will of God, and to be humbly 
and unquestioningly borne and endured as such. So 
long as you believe that God sent your disease, and 
that it is inevitable, so long you cannot be cured. 
Let us not regard disease as discipline merely. God 
does send discipline and requires us to endure hard- 
ship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ—but not in the 
form of disease. We do not find a single passage in 
which our Lord refers to disease aS something sent 
by God for our good; on the contrary He rebukes it 
and cures it wherever He finds it. Most of the practi- 
cal opposition to Christian healing arises from: 

1. Adding something to the simple teaching of 
Jesus; or 

2. Subtracting something from His teaching. 

Early liturgies do not ask for healing “if it be 
Thy will,’ and Jesus never used such a formula. 
Whenever He refers to the Will of God, it is for the 
purpose of bringing Himself or others into perfect 
harmony with the divine law, but He never uses it 
to suggest blind submission to the forces of evil. 
There is no objection to the use of the phrase, “If it 
be Thy will,” provided we fully recognize that God’s 
will is always and unequivocally a will that leads 
to ultimate health and harmony and righteous- 
ness. 

God revealed His will for all time fhrouey the life 
of His blessed Son, and that incarnate expression of 
His will is surely far more binding upon our con- 
sciences than any Calvinistic injunction to accept 
disease and physical distress as sent by the hand of 
God. This latter interpretation instantly injects an 
element of doubt into the mind of the patient. 

Contrast these pessimistic admissions with the 


RELATION BETWEEN SIN AND DISEASE 31 


simple command of Jesus, “Son, thy sins be forgiven 
thee. Arise, take up thy bed, and walk.” 

We may note here in passing the significance of 
the criticism which the Scribes and Pharisees passed 
upon this miracle. They did not object to the Min- 
istry of Healing as exercised by Jesus, but they very 
much objected to the Ministry of Absolution—that 
is, the declaration of the forgiveness of sins. Today 
the position is exactly reversed. The religious critic 
today concedes the right of the Church to administer 
Absolution, but seriously questions the right to ad- 
minister Healing. Perhaps our best answer to our 
contemporary critics is that_of Jesus to the Phari- 
sees, “Why think ye evil in your hearts?” or, in 
more modern speech, “Why do ye think negatively ?” 

If the Church is the extension of the Incarnation, 
then its business is to do today for its contempora- 
ries what Jesus did for His. 

Now let us sum up the lessons of this story: 

1. It teaches unselfish service. It encourages the 
Ministry of Intercession. Humanly speaking, the 
man owed his recovery to the practical sympathy 
and solicitude of his four friends. Apparently it 
was their faith which stimulated his, for St. Mark 
tells us that “Seeing their faith Jesus said to the 
sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” 
Incidentally we learn here, too, that Jesus is in- 
fluenced by the presence of satisfactory conditions, 
and that His work is limited when these conditions 
are absent. Thus we read elsewhere, “He could do 
no mighty works there because of their unbelief.” | 
This teaches us the wholesome doctrine of the soli- 
darity of the human race. “Ye that are strong ought 
to bear the burdens of the weak and not to please 


32 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


yourselves.” This story is the New Testament answer 
to the old question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” 
Jesus says “Yes, you are.” 

2. We learn also the close identity between sin 
and disease, and the value of the sacrament of Ab- 
solution. Forgiveness of sins as Jesus taught it 
means the removal of the cause, as well as a cure of 
the effects within all reasonable limits. “If we con- 
fess our sin, God is faithful and just to forgive us 
our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

All this is implicit in the Prayer Book. Each 
bishop at his consecration is told to “Hold up the 
weak, heal the sick, bind up the broken,” and every 
priest is exhorted to be “a faithful Dispenser of the 
Word of God and of His Holy Sacraments.” Now a 
Dispenser does not write prescriptions, but merely 
fills them, taking his instructions from the physician. 
In the same manner the practitioner of Christian 
Healing is not, strictly speaking, a Healer, but a 
Dispenser of the healing virtues of Christ Himself, 
who is the “Word of God”; and when we realize that 
healing has always been regarded as a sacrament, 
and that the Seventh Sacrament—Holy Unction— 
according to the best authorities is a Sacrament of 
Healing, and not merely a consolation for those who 
are departing this life, it becomes still more clear 
that every priest is by implication a Minister of 
Absolution and Healing, as well as of Baptism and 
Holy Communion. 

It is also significant that our Lord gave direct 
authority to His Apostles to forgive sin at the same 
time that He gave them the command to heal the 
sick. Those who object on scriptural or evangelical 
grounds to the practice of auricular confession have 


RELATION BETWEEN SIN AND DISEASE 33 


still to find a satisfactory explanation of the words 
of our Lord, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost; Whose 
soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, 
and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” 
Unrighteousness means literally and etymologically 
maladjustment—that state which is out of align- 
ment with the perfect will of God. 

God forgives us when we face toward Him and 
get into right relationship again. Absolution has 
often been described as the medicine of the soul, and 
since the state of the soul largely determines the 
health of the body, we see how great may be the re- 
sults when this sacrament_is properly used. The 
priest is the real doctor of the soul. The Collect for 
St. Luke’s Day is very pertinent: 

“Almighty God, Who didst call Luke the physician, whose 
praise is in the Gospel, to be an Evangelist, and Physician 
of the soul; May it please Thee that, by the wholesome 
medicines of the doctrine delivered by him, all the di- 


seases of our souls may be healed; through the merits of 
Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” 


Psychoanalysis scientifically. vindicates the sacra- 
ment of Absolution, just as other recent scientific 
research vindicates the supremacy of the spiritual 
life of man. But psychoanalysis does not go far 
enough; it does not reach those moral and spiritual 
conditions which can be reached by the Grace of 
Christ alone. We fully recognize the great value of 
psychoanalysis, especially in mental diagnosis, but 
it will never serve as a substitute for repentance and 
confession and absolution. 

3. The man is urged to do something to prove the 
validity of his cure—“Arise, take up thy bed, and go 
unto thy house.” We must never allow a religious 


tg 


34 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


privilege or the receiving of a Sacrament to become 
commonplace. It must leave us better than we were 
before. As a result of receiving the absolving or 
healing grace, we should be able to do that which 
was impossible before. 


“Draw nigh unto God and He will draw nigh unto you.” 
“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon 
Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way and 
the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him turn to the 
Lord, for He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, 
for He will abundantly pardon.” 


RELATION BETWEEN SIN AND DISEASE 35 


AIM: To illustrate the close relation which exists 
between Sin and Disease; to demonstrate the 
therapeutic value of Absolution; and to show the 
necessity of DOING something to prove our 
faith after absolution and healing. 


QUESTIONS: 

1. Where and how does Jesus assert the identity be- 
tween sin and disease? 

2. What are the two different views of sin? 

3. In the present story, what outstanding merits on the 
part of the intercessors helped to bring about the 
man’s healing? 

4. In bringing this story up-to date, how would a study 
and practice of the laws of hygiene affect the situ- 
ation? 

5. What is the first step towards healing? 

6. What proof can be found in the New Testament that 
disease is sent by God? 

7. Are Suffering and Disease synonymous? 

8. What part has Intercession in Healing? 

9. Was Jesus ever limited in His power to heal by un- 
belief ? 

10. What was the original use of the Sacrament of Unc- 
tion? 

11. What follows from our Lord’s command to the Apos- 
tles to forgive sin and to heal the sick? 

12. How does Psychonalysis fall short (usually) in its 
result upon the future condition of the patient? 

(Note: this question is not intended to belittle the 

value of psychoanalysis but to indicate its limi- 
tations. ) 

13. How must we show our faith after receiving absolu- 


tion or forgiveness? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Health and Religion, O’Flaherty, chapter 11. 

On Miracles, Archbishop Trench, No. 9. 

“Heal the Sick,’ Hickson, chapter 10. 

The Sacrament of Healing, John Maillard, chapter 9. 
Healing in the Churches, F. M. Wetherill, chapter 3. 


36 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


The Divine Antidote, KF. N. Riale, chapter 14. 

The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 8. 

The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, page 121. 

Hope, A. W. Hopkinson, chapters 4 and 5. 

Life in Fellowship, Bishop John P. Maud, chapter 3. 

Thought, Faith, and Healing, Mrs. Horace Porter, chapters 1 and 2. 

Does Christ Still Heal? H. B. Wilson, chapter 8. 

God’s Will for the World, H. B. Wilson, chapter 6. 

Christianity and Psychology, F. R. Barry, chapter 4. 

The Faith That Overcomes the World, V. R. Gibson, chapters 5 
and 6. 

Spiritual Gifts (The Charismata), J. R. Pridie, chapter 9. 


CHAPTER V 


THE HEALING OF THE DEAF MUTE 


St. Mark 7: 32-37 
St. Matt. 9:32 
St. Luke 11:14 


THE FACTS: 


. The deaf mute is brought to Jesus. 

. Jesus takes him aside from the multitude, 

Puts His fingers into his ears, 

. And touches his tongue. 

. Jesus offers prayer to His Father, 

And utters the word of healing. 

The man’s ears are opened and his tongue loosed. 
. People exclaim, “He doeth all things well.” 


DAA P WD 


HIS story is told by all three Synoptic writers, 

and to get the perspective, we need to read all 
three stories and synthesize them. There are four 
Greek words which are translated by the English 
word, dumb. Thus we have alalos, which means 
speechless; then aphonos, which means voiceless; 
then siopao, meaning silent, and lastly the word used 
in this miracle, kophos, which really means blunted. 
From the perusal of the best commentators, one gets 
the idea that an alien power has laid its intruding 
hand upon the mechanism of speech, blunting the 
man’s faculties and rendering him incoherent, if 


38 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


not altogether inarticulate. It is a peculiar word, and 
admirably expresses the idea which St. Luke con- 
veys when he says that the man had a “dumb devil.” 

The friends of the afflicted man besought Jesus 
to put His hand upon him, and we see here another 
example of the practical value of intercession. 

The method employed by Jesus in this miracle is 
quite unusual, for this was a combination of heal- 
ing and exorcism. Jesus does not depend here upou 
any magic formula; nothing could be more practical 
and straightforward than the method used, and we 
might say without exaggeration that He was truly 
scientific. 

Students of metaphysical healing are wont to de- 
spise such simple expedients as those employed in 
this case. With them mind is paramount, and physi- 
cal contact and material aids are eliminated as far 
as possible. Not so with the Master Himself. He 
seems to have been glad to use any method—even 
the simplest—which would assist the weak faith of 
the patient. Let us examine the detail of His method 
as employed in this case. 

1. Jesus took him aside from the multitude. 

This removed him from disturbing elements and 
from the inhibitions of unbelief. Every minister en- 
gaged in healing the sick knows how important this 
is, and it is interesting to observe that our Lord rec- 
ognizes the value of this. 

2. He “puts His fingers into his ears.” 

This is a familiar part of the technique of Jesus 
in such cases; it helped the man’s faith, and may 
even have been a necessary factor in his cure. 

3. The use of the spittle. 

This is very repellent to us, but was doubtless a 


THE HEALING OF THE DEAF MUTE 39 


familiar device in those early days, and would occa- 
sion no surprise among Oriental people. The chief 
value of this act was once again to increase the 
faith of the patient. 

Let us note here that these details are a strong 
rebuke to those who imagine that no “means” should 
be employed in Healing. Our Lord Jesus, who was 
so much greater than we, did not disdain the use 
of any means which might help to hasten or promote 
the desired end. 

4, “And touched his tongue.” 

The touch is still the vital thing, it is the sine qua 
non of Christ’s human ministry. There is something 
more than mere sentiment in the beautiful words of 
that familiar hymn in which we sing: 


“Thy touch hath still its ancient power.” 


Do not disdain the use of some human or physical 
means because it may not help you individually. It 
may be potent in the treatment of some other per- 
son, and if we are susceptible to the influence of 
the Spirit, we shall be shown what is the best method 
to employ in each individual case. 

The “touch” undoubtedly did two things in these 
instances of Healing. It conveyed spiritual power 
from Christ to the patient, and it aroused the heal- 
ing properties lying latent in the mind and body of 
the patient. 

5. The indispensable factor of prayer. 

“Looking up to heaven.” This graphic gesture rep- 
resents our Lord as appealing to the Source of 
all power and healing—His Father in heaven. It 
shows us that not only did Jesus spend whole nights 
in prayer, replenishing His spiritual resources, but 


40 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


He was accustomed to the use of ejaculatory prayer, 
that is, sudden emergency appeals to the Heavenly 
Father for some spiritual help to meet some special 
contingency. We must remember that this Master 
Healer did not claim to heal in His own name, but 
in the name of His Father. He frankly said, “The 
Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” 
How much we need to remember this in our own 
work, and to become ready channels through whica 
the Father may pour His healing blessings upon 
those in need! Whatever other methods you may 
employ, do not try to work without prayer. Make 
it a part of every system of therapy you may use. 
Hundreds of our physicians and surgeons testify 
to the value of prayer in their work, and admit its 
potency. 

6. The audible word, Ephphatha. 

If the touch of power, which was the touch of 
healing, is a characteristic of the ministry of Jesus, 
no less is it true that the word of healing occupies 
an important place in our Lord’s Ministry. Unlike 
the eastern Magicians and their representatives in 
modern western culture, Jesus does not employ 
magic, nor does He appeal very largely to the spec- 
tacular or dramatic instinct in His audience. When 
He uses a word or a formula, it is simply for the 
conveying of some dynamic thought to the patient, 
or for creating that atmosphere of expectancy which 
is necessary to the best results. In speaking the word 
of power, Jesus was appealing to spiritual forces 
and employing spiritual laws. 

We follow very closely His example in the use 
of the law of suggestion and our recognition that 
the subconscious mind of man will obey any rea- 


THE HEALING OF THE DEAF MUTE 4] 


sonable demand made upon it by the conscious 
volition. We find in the books of Moses very fre- 
quently the expression, “And Moses did according 
to the word of the Lord.” This represented a growing 
familiarity on the part of Moses with the laws of 
God and the will of God, and then in one place we 
find the corollary of this: “And the Lord did accord- 
ing to the word of Moses.” When we have made our- 
selves practically familiar with the laws of God 
and the will of God, we will speak the word of 
power, which is also the word of faith, and the re- 
sult shall follow exactly according to our command. 
Only when we have listened to the Word, reverently 
and persistently, can we learn, ourselves, to speak 
the word of command and healing and life. 

7. The result: 

St. Mark 7:35: “And straightway his ears were 
opened and the string of his tongue was loosed, and 
he spake plain.” In other words, we have here com- 
plete, successful healing. We could not wish for a 
more perfect example of Christian Healing than is 
given here. Let us never aim at less than perfect 
healing; and while we give thanks for even relief 
or partial cure, we should always aim at a perfect 
result such as was achieved by our Lord in His 
treatment of the sick. 

8. The reaction of the crowd: 

“And they were beyond measure astonished, say- 
ing, He hath done all things well; He maketh both 
the deaf to hear and the dumb to speak!” It is the 
testimony of those who conduct Healing Missions 
that the unsophisticated public quite naturally ex- 
pect to see this healing work accomplished. They are 
quite ready to believe that Christ is still present to 


42 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


heal the sick, and the chief obstacle to the revival of 
the practical Ministry of Healing is not in the apathy 
or skepticism of the crowd, so much as the lack of 
courage and faith and spiritual enterprise on the 
part of religious leaders. 

In conclusion let us remember that many a per- 
son has a dumb spirit, though he may not be liter- 
ally and physically deprived of speech. The dumb 
spirit stands for a whole legion of inhibitions, of 
repressed powers and impulses, and will not be re- 
leased until the word of power is spoken boldly in 
the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 


THE HEALING OF THE DEAF MUTE 43 


AIM: To study one miracle which illustrates the 
technique of Jesus in healing; also to observe 
the value which He attached to the use of means 
and the importance of verbal and manual con- 
tacts. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. Did our Lord use any one special method in healing 
the sick? 

2. What was the first requirement made of the patient? 

3. What other means did our Lord use, and why? 

4. Did Jesus claim to heal in His Own Name? 

5. Do you think our Lord had any special reason for 
the use of a formula? - 

6. What should be our aim in healing? 

7. What is the chief obstacle in the revival of healing? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 
On the Miracles, Archbishop Trench, No. 24. 
The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, page 94. 
Refer to St. Mark 7:32-37 in any good commentary. 
Also St. Matthew 9:32 and St. Luke 11:14. 


CHAPTER VI 


THE IMPOTENT MAN AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE OF 
THE TEMPLE. A Stupy IN APosTOLIC METHODS 


“Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but such as I 
have that give I thee. In the Name of Jesus Christ of 
Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Acts 3:6. . 


“The faith which is by him hath given this man perfect 
soundness in the presence of you all.” Acts 3:6 and 3:16. 


THE FACTS: 


iL; 


SS. Peter and John go up to the temple at the hour 
of prayer. 


2. The impotent cripple is laid at the gate of the temple. 
3. 
4, St. Peter fastens his eyes upon him and says “Look 


The cripple asks alms of the Apostles. 


on us.” 


. The cripple looks up expecting to receive money. 
. St. Peter says: “Silver and gold have I none, but 


such as I have give I unto thee. In the Name of 
Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 


. St. Peter takes him by the right hand and lifts him 


up, and the man receives strength in his feet and 
ankles. 


. The man leaps, stands, and walks, and then enters 


into the temple, walking and leaping and praising 
God. 


. The people are filled with wonder and amazement. 
. St. Peter declares that this man receives perfect 


soundness through faith in the Name of Jesus. 


THE IMPOTENT MAN 45 


HE story is so graphically told in the third and 

fourth chapters of the Book of the Acts that it 
would appear superfiuous to repeat it here. Let us 
therefore ascertain what inferences we may draw 
from this story. 

1. Is this power and authority used by SS. Peter 
and John still available? 

Yes, it is possessed by those who speak today in 
the Name of Jesus Christ, and by those also who 
have experienced His power and wish to speak to 
others that “Word” which has always proved so 
efficacious. i : 

2. The lame man immediately leaps, stands, and 
walks. His inhibitions were destroyed; he could do 
the things that he was previously unable to do. 

Does the work of Christ cause us to do the things 
which formerly we were unable to do? This is the 
difference between doctrine and dynamic. Religion 
consists not merely in accepting true doctrine, but 
in developing the power for its translation into 
energy. God will not do anything for us which we 
can easily do for ourselves. Peter stretches out his 
hand and bids the man rise up and walk, but the 
man must/make an effort, and he must believe that 
he can make the effort. We should not allow our- 
selvesto attend a Healing Service or receive a Sac- 
rament and go away the same as we were before. 
The inspiration of a great preacher, the psychic im- 
pressions of a Healing Service, or the ecstasy of 
sacramental contact, are marvellous opportunities. 
They are what Wilberforce calls “contact points 
with the Divine”; but it will depend upon us how 
far these sacred influences produce radical and per- 
manent changes in our lives. 


46 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


3. Perfect soundness. 

This perfect soundness should be the goal of all 
healing work. The scientific practitioner does not 
treat disease; he aims to heal the man (Weir 
Mitchell). Ultimately all healing is from within, 
and perfect soundness means that the life within is 
finding perfect avenues of expression. Perfect sound- 
ness is the birthright of God’s children, and we 
should not hesitate to seek it to the extent of our 
ability. It implies a balanced and reciprocal working 
of body, mind, and spirit. 

This perfect soundness is not a thing which stands 
by itself. Listen to St. Peter: “And His Name 
through faith in His Name hath made this man 
strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which 
is by Him hath given him this perfect soundness in 
the presence of you all.” 

4. The power is still available. 

This brings us to the whole crux of the weighty 
problem involved in the Healing Miracles. We were 
told twenty or thirty years ago that the Healing 
Miracles of Jesus were performed to prove that He 
was the Son of God, and that when this end was 
accomplished, the power to heal was withdrawn. 
Then when the problem of the miracles of the Apos- 
tles was raised, the same argument was used and 
it was taught that the power to heal was given to 
the earliest Apostles to validate their ministry, and 
withdrawn when this end was accomplished. These 
ideas are no longer held by the intelligent student 
of Christian Healing. The Church is now acknowl- 
edged to be the extension of the Incarnation, and 
therefore the power that manifested itself through 
Christ is found to be resident in and efficacious 


THE IMPOTENT MAN 47 


through the Church, which is the Body of Christ. 
This power was given by Christ to the Church, and 
has never been withdrawn. 

The story is told of Pope Gregory, who was sit- 
ting in the Vatican talking to his young secretary, 
Thomas Aquinas. While they talked, the servants 
brought in sacks of gold, representing tribute paid 
to the Pope. Gregory smiled, and, turning to his 
secretary, said: “No longer must I say like my 
illustrious predecessor, ‘Silver and gold have I 
none!’ “No,” said his secretary, “nor can you say 
to the lame man, “In the Name of Jesus Christ of 
Nazareth, rise up and walk!’ The answer of the 
young theologian is not without its modern signifi- 
cance. 

This question of authority has greatly vexed the 
minds of many of the clergy in our Churches. They 
have felt ity to ‘be presumptuous to attempt to heal 
the sick, and t ey have shirked the responsibility 
which such a Ministry carries with it. And yet it 
might truly be said that it is more presumptuous 
to ignore the definite command of Christ to heal the 
sick than it is obediently to accept His commission. 
The story is told of Dr. Elwood Worcester of Bos- 
ton that when he launched the movement known as 
the Emmanuel Movement in his parish, he received 
a letter from an eastern bishop asking by what au- 
thority he presumed to heal the sick. He sent back 
a courteous reply in which he asked the Bishop to 
refer to the Prayer Book in the office for the Conse- 
eration of Bishops. There, he said, you will find the 
command given to each bishop, “Raise the fallen 
and heal the sick” (page 529—Book of Common 
Prayer). “If you will tell me,” he said, “by what 


48 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


authority you ignore this direct command, then I 
will tell you by what authority I am trying to carry 
it into effect.”” We might add to this the fact that 
every priest in the Anglican Communion is told to 
be a faithful Dispenser of God’s Holy Sacraments, 
and that Healing is one of the Sacraments, and that 
the duty of a Dispenser is not to prescribe for the 
patient, but to administer the healing remedies al- 
ready prescribed by the physician. If we take our 
Lord to be the Great Physician, then we may truly 
say that His command to the Apostles of the Church 
to heal the sick, together with His promise of power 
in the carrying out of this commission, constitute 
the prescription which the clergy are to dispense to 
those who need the benefits of Christian Healing. 
The Society of the Nazarene recently sent out a ques- 
tionnaire to all the Anglican Bishops asking them 
for an expression of opinion in regard to the practice 
of Healing in the Churches. About two hundred 
Bishops replied to this questionnaire, and upwards 
of ninety per cent of these expressed their full ap- 
proval of the practice in the Church today. This 
should serve as a powerful refutation of the argu- 
ment that the clergy are restricted in the exercise of 
this Ministry today. 

Nor is this practice of Christian Healing incom- 
patible with the practice of scientific medicine. Let 
us remember that this story and the book in which 
it appears, together with other similar stories, was 
written by a physician. But the supremacy of the 
spiritual must be asserted. God’s laws must be 
obeyed, and to obey we must have an intelligent 
grasp of their nature and working. The clergy must 
be more scientific; the medical profession must be 


THE IMPOTENT MAN 49 


more spiritual. Only thus can there be successful co- 
operation. 

Finally, let us observe that Spiritual Healing 
comes “through the faith which is by Him.” That 
is, Christ is the Great Healer, and the’ Holy Spirit 
is “the Lord and Giver of Life.’”’ Not until we con- 
sider the true Source from which ‘all life and heal- 
ing come, can we pray intelligently for the full res- 
toration of this Ministry. Not until we realize that 
the Christ Nature, which is imparted to us, is the 
true source of all increase of life, can we interpret 
as we ought the simple but powerful formula, “Pre- 
serve thy body and soul unto everlasting life.” 

Let us close this chapter by quoting from a sermon 
preached by Bishop Manning of New York in De- 
cember 1923. His sermon concluded with these 


words: “Our faith is in One who does not change, *, 
One whose love and power are still able to cleanse < 


the sinner and heal the sick, and give life from above ° 


to all who will follow Him: One in whom we can 
wholly trust for this life and for all eternity. Jesus 
Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” 


§ 


: 


50 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To show that True Religion tends to produce 
perfect soundness and that the power for healing 
given by Christ to the Church has never been 
withdrawn. 


QUESTIONS : 


. What is the test of Religion? 
. Upon what does the result of a healing service largely 


depend? 


. What is “perfect soundness?’ 
. How do we know that the power to heal which was 


given to the early Church was not subsequently 
withdrawn? 


. To what extent are the clergy restricted in the ex- 


ercise of the ministry of healing today? 


. Is the practice of Christian Healing compatible with 


the practice of scientific medicine? 


. How can there be successful codperation between the 


Clergy and the Medical Profession? 


. How can we rightly interpret the formula, “Preserve 


thy body and soul unto Everlasting Life’’? 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 


The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 19. 

Back to Christ, Sir William Willcocks. 

The Revival of the Gift of 'Healing, H. B. Wilson, chapter 1. 
Refer to Acts III and IV in any good commentary. 


oe 


CHAPTER VII 


CHRISTIAN BOLDNESS 


“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, 
and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, 
they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them that they 
had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:18. 


HIS is a familiar verse to most of us, yet I 

doubt if we put the proper accent upon it when 
we read it. So let us supplement the wonderful story 
contained in the last chapter, by looking at these 
words, and studying them in relation to the miracle 
which has just occurred. 

It is not improper to take certain favorite verses 
of Holy Scripture and repeat them or memorize 
them, if they convey to us some special truth or some 
particular consolation; but in so doing I think we 
should first assure ourselves that the construction 
we put upon the words is the correct construction, 
and not merely the one we want to use. This verse 
is rarely understood as it should be. We pray for 
many things that are good and right, and I have 
often heard men pray that the world when it takes 
knowledge of us may perceive that we have been with 
Jesus—that is, that some of the glory of the face of 
Jesus may be reflected in our lives and conduct. 
This is a beautiful prayer, and as an independent 


52 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


petition, quite appropriate to our needs, but it is not 
the prayer which our text suggests. This passage 
reads: “When they saw the boldness of Peter and 
John .... they marvelled and took knowledge of 
them that they had been with Jesus.” So you see it 
was the boldness that drew their attention, and the 
influence exerted by the Apostles was quite uncon- 
scious; it was due to no feat of the intellect, but to 
their nearness to the type of spiritual life and bold- 
ness manifested by Christ Himself. The whole chap- 
ter is very wonderful and makes a most thrilling 
narrative, forming, as we observe, the sequel of the 
healing of the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of 
the Temple. 

These events happened in the very early days of 
the Church, shortly after that memorable outpour- 
ing of the Holy Ghost on the Day of Pentecost. 

SS. Peter and John were at the temple, and had 
just healed a lame man in a miraculous manner. 
This had caused quite a commotion, and St. Peter 
took the opportunity to preach to the assembled 
multitude, with the immediate result that five thou- 
sand men were added to the Church. This naturally 
aroused the antagonism of the Chief Priests and 
the Sadducees who believed neither Christianity nor 
the Resurrection. They arraigned the Apostles and 
demanded of them publicly concerning the miracle, 
“by what power or by what name” they performed 
it. Then St. Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, made 
his reply: 

“Be it known unto you, and to all the people of Israel, that 
by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye cruci- 
fied, whom God raised from the dead, even by Him doth 


this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone 
that was set at naught by you builders, which is become the 


CHRISTIAN BOLDNESS 53 


head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other; 
for there is none other Name under heaven given among 
men, whereby we must be saved.” 


This was the typical spirit of these early witness- 
bearers of the Christian religion. As we read their 
words we can easily imagine the impression they 
produced. No apologies; no secrecy about their faith 
or allegiance; no hesitancy about explaining the 
source of their power; just a plain, bold, courageous 
statement of their commission and the sources of 
their power. SS. Peter and John were exemplifying 
not merely the teaching, but_the very acts and works 
of Jesus Himself, and anyone who had watched Him 
in His wonderful Healing Ministry would be struck 
by the resemblance between His works and the works 
of these, His earliest disciples and followers. It was 
ridiculous to suggest that SS. Peter and John de- 
rived their power from books or learning. Everyone 
knew they were only fishermen and quite unlearned 
and unskillful men. Only one logical deduction was 
possible and that was the right one: They had been 
with Jesus, and from Him they had received both 
the inspiration and the power to perform these won- 
drous works. 

“When they saw their boldness,”—whose_ bold- 
ness? The boldness of SS. Peter and John. Now if 
you know the natural characteristics of these two 
Apostles you will perhaps be a little surprised at 
this statement. Before the resurrection of Jesus 
St. Peter was just as impetuous and impulsive as 
you see him on this occasion. But he was not truly 
courageous. If he had been truly bold he would not 
have fled when the hour of his Lord’s passion drew 
nigh. If he had been truly bold he would not have 


54 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


stood “afar off” in the servants’ hall of the High 
Priest’s palace. If he had been truly bold he would 
not have denied his Lord three times with oaths and 
curses. Jesus did not call Peter to be His Apostle 
for what he was originally, but for what he might 
become. When He first met him you remember the 
words Jesus used: “Thou art Simon the son of Jonas, 
thou shalt be called Cephas, which being interpreted 
means a rock!” And now that prophetic word is be- 
coming true. Our hardest rocks, the igneous rocks, 
are just transformed mud, mud\that has passed 
through the ministry of terrific fire. And here is 
Simon Peter, once as yielding as mud, but now, hav- 
ing passed through the discipline of flame, the fire 
of an intense affection, he is firm and irresistible as 
rock. A few weeks previous to this incident he had 
said in public: “I know not the man!” That was the 
yielding mud. And it is this man, transformed in 
the very fibres of his being, who now arrests the 
thoughtless indifference of the world, and by the 
spectacle of a magnificent boldness startles it into a 
great surprise. ‘‘When they beheld the boldness of 
Peter they marvelled !” 

But it says Peter and John. How unjust some of 
our religious artists are in depicting St. John on 
the canvas. They think of him always as the Apos- 
tle of love; they picture him lying on the bosom of 
Jesus; and so they forget that he was also surnamed 





tures him as of mild and gentle countenance, with 
far-away, dreamy eyes and of most effeminate de- 
meanour. Now this is not totally wrong. Any true 
protraiture of St. John must include some of these 
things, for mysticism is part of the genuine Chris- 


CHRISTIAN BOLDNESS 55 


tian experience. In his face there must be a large and 
winsome gentleness to which we feel we could unbur- 
den our broken hearts; but the gentleness must not 
be effeminate; it must be strong and masculine; and 
in the face there must be delineated elements with 
which the flippant could no more trifle than he could 
play with fire. John leaned on his Master’s breast, 
but that same faith took him before magistrates and 
councils for a bold testimony, and finally landed 
him in lonely exile on the rocky island of Patmos. 
“When they beheld the boldness of . . . . John they 
marvelled.” : | 

What was the explanation of this character—this 
bold and rugged Christian character which so per- 
plexed the world? You must turn to the eighth verse 
and you will find the secret: “Then Peter, filled with 
the Holy Ghost.” This boldness was a phenomenon. 
They could not fit it into any of the current expla- 
nations. It was not the product of the schools; it 
was not the fruit of culture; we read, “they per- 
ceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men.” 
They could not fit these men into the hierarchy of 
official teachers, and so they relegated them to the 
ranks of the unrecognized, the mere quacks, and 
labelled them “unlearned and ignorant men.” We 
can read this story with Christian intelligence and 
experience. We know something of the unseen power 
or force behind SS. Peter and John which explains 
their boldness. Jt is St. Peter plus the Infinite! It 
is St. John fortified by Deity! 

There is a great and growing need for this apos- 
tolic boldness today. The times in which we live im- 
peratively demand aggressiveness of soul. The Chris- 
tian character must be conspicuous for strength, 


56 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


intelligence, decisiveness, and attack. Whatever may 
be allowed to lie hidden in obscurity or stored away 
in secret and mystical depths, the masculine quality 
of Christian discipleship must stand out in bold and 
flaming relief. 

For the full understanding of our text you must 
read the whole chapter, and you will see that this 
holy boldness was no mere sudden impulse, but a 
consistent, reasonable confidence. We get the same 
spirit of boldness in the words which the Apostles 
give in reply to their critics—“We cannot but speak 
the things which we have seen and heard.” How 
magnificent that response! They felt their wills to 
be caught in the sweeping current of the Infinite. 
They were impelled by a mighty imperative, con- 
strained by an all-encompassing and irresistible in- 
terest. It becomes then a most important question 
for us how we are to get this most desirable state 
of mind and heart, how we can develop this holy 
boldness so that we may feel, like those early Apos- 
tles, that we cannot but declare what we have seen 
and experienced. 

Many of the clergy today hesitate to practise the 
Ministry of Healing simply because they lack this 
holy boldness. They excuse themselves by saying 
that General Convention has not authorized the 
practice of this Ministry or that this or that bishop 
is critical towards the movement, instead of realiz- 
ing that they are Ministers of Jesus Christ, and 
that the Ministry of Healing is an integral and 
indispensable part of His commission to His fol- 
lowers. 

There is only one method by which this boldness 
may be cultivated, and that is to be filled with the 


CHRISTIAN BOLDNESS “Vi 


same Holy Spirit which was the Divine Energy be- 
hind the work of the Apostles. 

In conclusion, we may pray for this boldness in 
the very words which were used by the Apostles, 
as follows: 


“And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant 
unto Thy servants that with all boldness they may speak 
Thy word, by stretching forth Thy hand to heal, and that 
signs and wonders may be done by the name of Thy Holy 
Child, Jesus.” 


This was the prayer (Acts 4: 29, 30). The answer 
to the prayer is found in the following verse: 


“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where 
they were assembled together, and they were all filled with 
the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with bold- 
ness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one 
heart and one soul: neither said any of them that aught 
of the things which he possessed was his own; but they 
had all things common. And with great power gave the 
Apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 
And great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4: 31-33. 


58 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To realize the true meaning of Christian 
Boldness as one of the criteria of Spirit-filled 
Christians. Also to stress the need for this 
quality in the life of the Church today. 


QUESTIONS: 

1. To what was the boldness of the Apostles due? 

2. In quoting detached verses of Scripture what special 
caution must be exercised? 

3. In what way has Art been unjust in depicting St. 
John? 

4. Why would the Christian preacher of the twentieth 
century need courage in presenting the message of 
Christ? 

5. What mistake is made by many of the clergy in regard 
to the Ministry of Healing? 

6. What is the special value of personal experience in 
preaching and healing? 

7. What spiritual factor or quality is implied in the 
doctrine of Apostolic Succession? 

8 


. What is the strongest evidence for Apostolic Succes- 


sion ? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapter 19. 

The Ministry of Healing, A. J. Gordon, chapters 4, 8, and 12. 
The Whole Man, Geoffrey Rhodes, pages 45 and 77. 

The Meaning of Christian Healing, G. F. Weld, page 16. 
Healing in the Churches, ¥. M. Wetherill, chapter 1. 

The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapters 19 and 21. 

Back to Christ, Sir William Willcocks. 


CHAPTER VIII 


THE PRAGMATIC TEST 


THE QvuESTION: “Art Thou He that should come, or do 
we look for another?” 


THE ANSWER: “Go and tell John the things which ye hear 
and see: the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, 
the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are 
raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them. 
And blessed is he who shail find no occasion of stumbling in 
Me.” St. Matt. 11: 3-6. 


HO shall determine what is the true Gospel? 

Who is qualified to state precisely what is in- 
cluded in the scope of the Christian Message? Who 
shall decide what is orthodox and what is heterodox 
in the presenting of the Christian Evangel? There 
is but one answer, Christ Himself. And fortunately 
we have the definition of the Gospel Message in the 
words of our Lord Himself, given as the fulfillment 
of prophecy and again in answer to the question of 
St. John the Baptist. 

The first statement on this subject was given at 
the beginning of the public ministry of our Lord, 
and is recorded in St. Luke, 4: 18-19: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath 


anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath sent 
Me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the 


60 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at 
liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable 
year of the Lord.” 


There is a very noticeable consistency between 
these words, which form the conscious fulfillment of 
prophecy on the part of our Lord, and the answer 
which is sent to John by his Disciples, as recorded 
by St. Matthew. 

If the Church is indeed, as we are assured that it 
is by the best authorities, the “extension of the In- 
carnation,” it will readily be conceded that her busi- 
ness is to proclaim the same Message which was pro- 
claimed by our Lord, and it is equally reasonable to 
suppose that it should be done in the same manner 
and with the same practical demonstration. Our 
Lord did not come merely as a Healer, but as an 
Evangelist: “He hath anointed Me to preach the 
Gospel.” The healing work is a part of that Gospel, 
not to be exploited by itself, but to form the com- 
plement of the Divine Revelation. 

And when the commission was handed on to the 
Disciples, it was merely expressed under the head- 
ings: 1. Preach, 2. Teach, 3. Heal. These are still the 
main factors in the Mission of the Church. 

The Church has erred, and lost power whenever 
she has added something to Christ’s category of 
the scope of the Gospel, and when she has substracted 
something from that category. 

Let us pause for a moment, and examine this self- 
confessed mission of Jesus. Let us reverently analyse 
it with the purpose of discovering how far the 
Church is living up to it, and why in some cases she 
has fallen short of the Divine Commission. 

We have these five definitely expressed factors: 


THE PRAGMATIC TEST 6] 


. Good news to the poor. 

. Healing for the broken-hearted. 

. Deliverance to the captives. 

. Recovery of sight to the blind. 

. Liberty for the bruised (the victims of 
tyranny). 

Under these five headings all human emergencies 
are included. This is a masterpiece of condensation. 
It is a fair question to ask: Is this the program of 
the Church today? Suppose the representatives of 
some other great religion, or some earnest inquirer 
after truth, should come into one of our churches, 
attend the service, listen to the address, witness the 
administration of the Sacraments, and then audibly 
inquire, “Is this the true Church of Christ, or do we 
look for another?” Could we respond to this test in 
the pragmatic style of Jesus Himself? Could we say 
to such an inquirer: “Behold what things ye hear 
and see; how the blind receive their sight, and the 
lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, 
and the dead are raised up and the poor have good 
tidings preached to them?” We need not be unduly 
literal in the interpretation of these words or the 
application of this test. There are many churches 
and parishes where for all practical purposes this 
test may be successfully applied in general practice, 
and always in spirit these things are done in the 
Name of the Master. But it is only too true that in 
the majority of organized Christian bodies this 
pragmatic test would reveal a deplorable weakness 
and deficiency. 

Study this definite statement of the Mission of 
Jesus, and you will find it instantly answers the 
main objections to Christian Healing. How dare we 


OT HR G be 


62 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


say it is the will of God for men to be diseased, when 
Christ says He was divinely anointed to heal disease, 
which He referred to as an “oppression of the devil?” 
How dare we say that it is God’s will for men to be 
blind, when He declared that He was sent to give 
“recovery of sight to the blind?” How dare we say 
that this was a local and temporary function of 
the Church, limited to Christ and His twelve Apos- 
tles, when He definitely commissioned His followers 
to do all He Himself did, and more, and clinched 
this command with the promise that He would be 
with them always, to validate this Ministry”? We 
too often forget that the Christian Commission, 
which all accept as binding on the Christian Church, 
was followed by the promise, “And lo, I am with 
you alway, even unto the end of the world.“ Our 
Lord constantly sought to overthrow the then domi- 
nant Hebrew attitude of a vengeful, punishing God. 
The Hebrew mind was limited to the idea that sick- 
ness was the result of sin and an evidence of God’s 
displeasure. Of the man born blind they asked our 
Lord, “Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that 
he was born blind?” Jesus replied, ‘‘Neither.” Thus 
He exploded the current contemporary theological 
fallacy which kept earnest souls from receiving the 
full Gospel, and which tended to inhibit true faith. 

The sincere critic might reasonably ask today 
whether such signs are witnessed in the Twentieth 
Century when the Gospel is fearlessly presented in 
accordance with the teachings and precedent of 
Christ Himself. After eliminating the spectacular 
and questionable results which follow modern re- 
vival methods, the stern fact still remains that in 
hundreds of churches and parishes where this Gospel 


THE PRAGMATIC TEST 63 


has been presented in the recent past, the “signs 
following” have occurred, and the criteria of Chris- 
tian Evangelism have been manifested. Let us quote 
only one example, and it is taken from a letter ad- 
dressed from the Archbishop of Melbourne to the 
people of his diocese, following a Healing Mission in 
the city of Melbourne, conducted by James Moore 
Hickson. It is worthy of mention that this letter was 
written six weeks after the Mission, and therefore 
was not indited in the heat of enthusiasm. The Arch- 
bishop thus tabulates the results of this single evan- 
gelistic effort: 

“TI desire to say a few words on the subject of the Mis- 
sions of Healing which have just been concluded in this 
Province and appear to have been marked everywhere by 
the same features: 

“1. Realization of the Presence of Christ. 

“2. Definite revival of spiritual life. 

“3. Substantial number of complete cures. 

“4, Large proportion of well-marked improvements, to 
be persevered with in believing prayer. 

“5. A wonderful patience and refreshing in the spiri- 
tual lives of those who quite simply record no 
bodily change. 

“6. A marked absence of fanaticism. 

“7, No antagonizing of the medical profession. 

“8. A certain wonderment as to what we should do next.” 
To which question the Archbishop replies: “Let it 
pass naturally into the ordinary undisturbed faith 
and practice of Church life.” 


At the time of writing, the author has just re- 
turned from a long series of Healing Missions, which 
have been marked by precisely the same general re- 
sults, as unsolicited testimonials filed with the So- 
_ciety of the Nazarene, by clergy and laity alike, bear 
witness. 


64 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


A recent book on Spiritual Healing questions, in 
all sincerity, the actual validity of the healings 
which take place in these Missions, and many other 
students of this subject express a similar doubt as 
to the reality of these healings. This attitude is not 
at all cynical, but is due simply to the fact that those 
who take it have not themselves had similar experi- 
ence. Doubtless their experience has been more with 
private healing. However, we may again refer to the 
Archbishop in order to assure ourselves that these 
results are not fictitious or imaginary. He had one 
Mission investigated with regard to the results 
claimed, and the investigation is described fully in 
chapter XXV page 203. 

The lesson of all this is pretty obvious to the true 
seeker. Only when we undertake the whole program 
of Jesus Christ are we entitled to expect the full 
results which He promised. Not only prayer and 
faith, but also patience, is needed, and those who 
pause long enough to satisfy themselves that their 
conduct is absolutely proof against criticism, will 
never experience the thrill and ecstasy of the Apos- 
tles, who returned to our Lord with joy, reporting 
their successful Missions, and adding, “Even the 
devils are subject unto us through Thy Name.” 


THE PRAGMATIC TEST 65 


AIM: To apply our Lord’s definition of the Gospel 
message as a standard for contemporary Chris- 
tian life and to see how far we are attaining to 
this standard. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. Accepting the definition that the Church is the ex- 
tension of the Incarnation, what then is her spe- 
cial business or function? 

2. What are the three main factors in the Mission of 
the Church? 

3. How may we reasonably apply to the Church of today 
the test which Jesus gave to John in St. Matt. 11: 
3-6? 

4. What specific promise follows the Great Commission 
(Go ye into all the world, ete.) ? 

5. How shall we answer the criticism that if healing 
work be genuine it will be universally successful? 

Why are so many devout people not healed (e.g.) at 
a well-conducted healing mission? 

6. What will happen when we undertake the whole pro- 
gram which Christ outlined for His followers? 

7. What is the danger in seeking to judge Christian 
work entirely by results? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Does Christ Still Heal, H. B. Wilson, chapter 7. 
Refer to St. Matthew 11:3-6 in any good commentary. 
Pictures of the Apostolic Church, Sir William Ramsay, page 312. 
Luke the Physician, Sir William Ramsay, pages 15, 16. 


CHAPTER. IX 
THE VIRTUE OF IMPORTUNITY 


Perseverance as an Aid to Faith 


Jesus and the Syro-Phenician Woman. 
St. Matt. 15; 21-31. 


THE SCRIPTURAL FACTS: 


1 


2. 
3. 


4, 


= 


ov. 


“Have mercy on me O Lord, Thou Son of David, my 
daughter is grievously vexed with a devil! 

“And He answered her not a word. 

“His disciples besought Him, saying, Send her away, 
for she crieth after us. 

“But He answered, I am not sent but unto the Lost 
Sheep of the House of Israel. 

“Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, 
help me, 


. “But He answered, It is not meet to take the chil- 


dren’s bread and cast it to dogs. 


. “She answered, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat the 


crumbs that fall from their Master’s table. 


. “Then Jesus answered and said, O woman, great is 


thy faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt. 


. “And her daughter was made whole from that very 


hour.” 


ONTRARY to the belief of many people, Jesus 
did not go out of His way to heal the sick, nor 


did He cultivate the reputation of a great Healer. 
Let us listen to Giovanni Papini :* 








*See Life of Christ, page 132. 


THE VIRTUE OF IMPORTUNITY 67 


“Jesus never held that miracles were His exclusive privi- 
lege. When they came to tell Him that some man was driv- 
ing out demons in His name, He answered, ‘Forbid him 
not.’ This power was not denied to the disciples. ‘Heal the 
sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: 
freely ye have received, freely give.’ 

“Bven charlatanical wizards could perform prodigies 
which seemed miracles. In His time a certain Simon was 
doing miracles in Samaria; even the disciples of the Phari- 
sees performed miracles. But miracles are not enough to 
enter into the Kingdom. ‘Many shall say to Me in that day, 
Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Thy Name, and in Thy 
Name cast out devils, and in Thy Name do many mighty 
works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew 
you; depart from Me, all ye workers of iniquity.’ It is not 
enough to cast out devils, if thou hast not cast out the 
devil in thee, the devil of pride and cupidity. 

“Even after His death, men will see others perform 
miracles. ‘For there shall arise false Christs, and false proph- 
ets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch 
that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect!’ 
I have put you on your guard: do not believe in these signs 
and these wonders until thou shalt see the Son of Man. The 
miracles of false prophets do not prove the truth of what 
they say. 

‘For all these reasons, Jesus abstained, as often as pos- 
sible, from working miracles, but He could not always re- 
sist the pleadings of the sorrowful, and often His pity did 
not wait for the request. For a miracle is an attribute of 
faith, and His faith is infinite, and that of the believers 
very great. But often, as soon as the healing was complete, 
He asked the ones He had healed to keep it secret. ‘See 
thou tell no man; go thy way.’ Those who do not listen to 
the truth of Christ, because they are troubled by the mir- 
acles, should remember the profound saying which was ad- 
dressed to Thomas, ‘Blessed are they that have not seen 
and yet have believed.’ ” 


No doubt Papini is right in this statement, and it 
would seem, in some cases, as though Jesus actually 
discouraged those who came seeking for the heal- 


68 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


ing touch. It is important to distinguish, however, 
between two classes who come under this category. 
The first is discouraged because it seeks only the 
signs and wonders. The second is discouraged be- 
cause it lacks the requisite faith, and Jesus would 
arouse the latent capacity to a fuller measure of ex- 
pression. 

It is to this second class that the Syro-Phenician 
woman evidently belonged. There was in her atti- 
tude eagerness and desire, and eventually a wonder- 
ful faith developed from these elementary begin- 
nings. 

A casual reading of this story is baffling to our 
intelligence. It seems unthinkable to us that our 
Lord should show such apparent apathy towards 
this woman whose request is unselfish, and whose 
only desire is that her daughter might be healed. Yet 
when she comes to our Lord with the simple prayer, 
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou son of David,” 
St. Matthew tells us that “He answered her not a 
word.” She is further discouraged by the opposition 
of the disciples, the very men whom she might have 
expected would help her. We read: “His disciples be- 
sought Him saying, Send her away, for she crieth 
after us!” The reply of Jesus to this is still more 
discouraging from the woman’s standpoint. She is a 
Gentile, a native of Syro-Phenicia, and Jesus says, 
“T am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House 
of Israel.” Nothing daunted, the woman comes right 
back with the simple plea, “Lord help me.” But for 
some inscrutable reason even this simple prayer is 
not immediately answered. Jesus replies: “It is not 
meet to take the children’s bread and cast it to 
dogs.” In modern parlance this is what would be 


THE VIRTUE OF IMPORTUNITY 69 


called adding insult to injury. The term “dogs” was 
an epithet used by the Jews to express their con- 
tempt towards their Gentile neighbors, and it is 
indeed difficult to reconcile these words with what 
we know of the character of Jesus. It may well be 
that this dialogue was intended partly for the in- 
struction of His disciples. However, the woman 
seizes this final rebuff and converts it into a power- 
ful argument for the granting of her request. Her 
words are a triumph of feminine logic. She says, 
“Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat the crumbs that fall 
from the master’s table.” This argument, together 
with the magnificent development of faith which it 
betokened, overcame every other consideration with 
Jesus, and with great enthusiasm He exclaimed: “O 
woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as 
thou wilt.” St. Matthew is eloquently brief in report- 
ing the result of these words: “And her daughter 
was made whole from that very hour.” 

Here we have a wonderful object lesson in the 
overcoming of difficulties, in the importunity of true 
faith, in its power actually to profit by opposition 
and to convert an adverse argument into the trium- 
phant logic of faith. We should remember when we 
speak about disappointments and discouragements 
in regard to our prayers, that we rarely exercise the 
measure of faith which was exhibited by these Chris- 
tians with whom we are familiar in Bible history. 

This is no isolated example. We have a similar 
one in the story of Zacchaeus, who triumphed over 
his smallness of stature; in Bartimaeus, who had 
the handicap of blindness; in the woman with the 
issue of blood, where the combined effects of fear, 
modesty, timidity, and twelve years’ unsuccessful 


70 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


experience of medical practice had to be overcome 
before she could receive Christ’s healing touch. In 
the Old Testament there is the story of Naaman, the 
leper, whose pride of military rank proved a serious 
obstacle, and yet was overcome by his desire to be 
healed. 

Today our importunity is no less necessary if we 
would be healed, and perseverance and faith must 
still go hand in hand if we are to demonstrate the 
power of Christ to heal our sicknesses—mental, 
spiritual, and physical. 

What are some of these modern obstacles? Fear 
of failure; fear of public opinion; fear of one’s own 
family; materialism; “science, falsely so-called” ; 
secret sin; medical prejudice; and the besetting sin 
of unbelief. All these things may and do constitute 
obstacles to faith, and it takes importunity of a 
high order to enable us, like the woman in this story, 
to triumph over adverse conditions. 

Let us take courage from the successful ending of 
the story. Let us remember that what appear to be 
insuperable obstacles will yield to persistent prayer 
and prevailing faith, and that sometimes what ap- 
pear to be hopeless handicaps are blessings in dis- 
guise by reason of the stimulus which they give to 
our faith. God will not encourage us to place our 
faith and trust in Him only to involve us in a bitter 
disappointment, but we must remember that in many 
cases our diseases are the result of a long period of 
ignorance or disobedience, and it is not reasonable 
to expect that all these accumulated obstacles will 
vanish in a moment of time. “Be not weary in well- 
doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint 
not.” If we would hear our Lord say, “Be it unto 


THE VIRTUE OF IMPORTUNITY 7| 


thee even as thou wilt,” then we must qualify for 
this wondrous promise by that greatness of faith 


which was the prerequisite in the case of the Syro- 
Phenician woman. 


72 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To show how adverse conditions may be suc- 
cessfully negotiated and the importance of im- 
portunity in the quest of healing. Also to recog- 
nize how Faith sometimes thrives under the 
stimulus of outward discouragements. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. Is there good reason to believe that Jesus expected 
others to perform miracles similar to those which 
He performed? 

2. Why did Jesus frequently refrain from working mir- 
acles? 

3. What two classes did Jesus discourage from coming 
to Him for the healing touch? 

4. If we are disappointed in regard to our prayers, what 
is probably the reason? 

5. What quality, in addition to faith, is necessary in 
order to be healed? 

6. What are some of the modern obstacles to faith? 

7. Why does considerable time often elapse before the 
full answer to a healing prayer is manifested? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


On the Miracles, Archbishop Trench. No. 23. 
The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 11. 
The Wonders of the Kingdom, page 68, G. R. H. Shafto. 


CHAPTER X 


THE PENALTY OF SIN 


“Behold thou art made whole; sin no more, lest a worse 
thing come unto thee.” St. John 5:14. 


THE FACTS 


1. Jesus goes up to Jerusalem to the Feast. 

2. Bethesda is described as a pool by the sheep market. 

3. The infirm crowd at the pool is graphically depicted. 

4. Angelic ministration given as the cause of healing 
power. 

5. Jesus sees a man there who has been impotent for 
thirty-eight years. 

6. Jesus asks him, “Wilt thou be made whole?” 

7. The man explains his inability to get into the pool. 

8. Jesus commands him to take up his bed and walk. 

9. The man obeys and is completely cured. 

0. The Jews rebuke the man for carrying his bed on 
the Sabbath. 

11. The man refers them to his Healer. 

12. Jesus warns the man to sin no more lest a worse 
trouble come. 

13. The Jews seek to kill Jesus because He did these 
things on the Sabbath, and because He said God 
was His Father. 


HE verse above quoted is one of several which 
emphasize that close relation between sin and 
disease which we believe to be fundamental to 
Christ’s method of healing. This story is related only 
by St. John, and as he tells us very few stories, we 
know it must be here for a definite purpose. It is 


74 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


generally understood that he related these stories to 
demonstrate the Divine nature and power of Jesus. 
This may well be so, and yet the story has much in- 
trinsic import which deserves our study. 

Jesus is going up to Jerusalem as a good Jew to 
attend the Feast, probably the Feast of Purim, which 
commemorated the deliverance of the Jews by Queen 
Esther. The pool has actually been identified by 
agents of the Palestine Exploration Society, and is 
about fifty-five feet long. It was first discovered by 
the Crusaders, who built a chapel over it. 

Like the famous shrine of Lourdes in France, this 
pool had a tremendous reputation as a place of re- 
sort for sick people, who firmly believed the wa- 
ters possessed healing properties. It was probably 
what is now known as a chalybeate spring, and the 
bubbles which appeared on the surface and which 
were ascribed to the action of an angel were per- 
fectly natural phenomena. Many scholars question 
the authenticity of this part of the story, and it is 
omitted in the Revised Version. However, while from 
a literary standpoint the omission may be justified, 
there is no reason to question the Ministry of Angels 
in this or in any other narrative in Holy Scripture. 
On the contrary, our Lord Himself seems to have 
fully recognized the Angelic Ministry, as we may 
find from a number of references during the days of 
His flesh, and with reference to such Angelic Minis- 
try we may well be contented with the words writ- 
ten in the Epistle to the Hebrews (1:14): “Are they 
not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for 
them who shall be heirs of salvation?” 

The pool was crowded with sick people, but the 
story tells us of one only. This detail is not without 


THE PENALTY OF SIN 75 


its instructiveness. Some people rather unwarrant- 
ably assume that Jesus cured all the sick folk that 
He met; this is highly improbable. He doubtless 
healed many multitudes of sick ones, yet their heal- 
ing was scarcely the result of a mere crowd sugges- 
tion. Faith is infectious, and the healing of a chronic 
case of disease would doubtless inspire faith of a 
similar character in the spectators. Yet the condi- 
tions required for healing were no doubt fulfilled in 
each case. 

We can searcely agree with the comment of Arch- 
bishop Trench on this passage, when he says: 

“From among this suffering, expectant multitude, Christ 
singles out one on whom He will display His power ;—one 
only, for He came not now to be the healer of men’s bodies, 


save only as He could annex to this healing the truer heal- 
ing of their souls and spirits.” 


This represents the older view, and makes the 
healing miracles merely criteria of Christ’s Divine 
power, and represents them as being merely outward 
and visible signs of the spiritual healing which 
formed His real purpose. 

Today we still give first place to spiritual heal- 
ing, and we would never countenance the exploit- 
ing of religion merely or solely to bring about the 
alleviation of physical distress; but we do claim 
that spiritual healing is most positively to be used 
for the healing of the whole man, and this would 
naturally include his body. 

This man in the story had been afflicted for thirty- 
eight years and presents an abject picture of that 
“Hope long deferred” which “maketh the heart sick.” 

Like the woman described elsewhere who had 
spent all her substance on physicians and had sought 


76 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


twelve years in vain for health, so this man shows 
a remarkable tenacity of purpose and an indestruc- 
tible hope, in lingering on here on the chance that 
somebody will take pity on him or that in some way 
he may reap the healing properties of the place. The 
question which Jesus asks the man, “Wilt thou be 
made whole?’ may have been put for one of two 
reasons: (a) To stimulate his faith and eagerness, 
or (b) To test the quality of his faith. Archbishop 
Trench comments as follows on this verse: 

“A superfluous question, it might seem; for who would 
not be made whole if he might?—and his very presence at 
the place of healing attested his desire. But the question 
has its purpose. The impotent man had probably waited so 
long, and so long waited in vain, that hope was dead or 
well nigh dead within him, and the question is asked to 
awaken in him anew a yearning after the benefit which the 
Saviour, pitying his hopeless case, was about to impart. 
His heart may have been as “withered” as his limbs through 
his long sufferings and the long neglects of his fellowmen.” 


The man responded promptly in spite of his pro- 
tracted vigil. He does not give any verbal evidence 
of faith, but tries to explain why he had not here- 
tofore been cured. 

Without further preliminaries, Jesus gives him 
the healing command: “Rise, take up thy bed and 
walk”; What an astounding thing to say to a life- 
long cripple! When, however, our Lord gave these 
healing commands, the command carried with it a 
mysterious power which galvanized the diseased will 
into new activity. The result was instantaneous: 
“And immediately the man was made whole, and 
took up his bed and walked.” 

The sequel to this story is quite as interesting as 
the story itself. Later on, Jesus finds the man in 


THE PENALTY OF SIN 77 


the temple, and says, in the words we have quoted, 
“Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a 
worse thing come unto thee.” We can well afford to 
ignore the criticism of the Jews. They were so prej- 
udiced against the man, and so eager to discredit 
Him, that they entirely ignored the healing work 
and looked only at the nominal infraction of the 
law which had been committed by the act of carry- 
ing a bed on the Sabbath Day. When these Jews 
addressed the erstwhile cripple, and admonished 
him, “It is not lawful for thee to carry thy- bed,” 
they were deliberately ignoring the real point of the 
episode, and were characteristically elevating de- 
tails of ritual above the true purposes of God. They 
do not ask the man, “Who healed thee?” in order 
to establish the identity of Jesus, but they say 
“What man is that which said unto thee, ‘Take up 
thy bed and walk?” But this is not all. They have 
a still more serious charge against Jesus. When 
charged with healing on the Sabbath Day, Jesus 
answered them, “My Father worketh hitherto, and 
I work,” and St. John tells us that they sought the 
more to kill Him, because He had not only broken 
the Sabbath, but also claimed that God was His 
Father, so making Himself equal with God. 

This gives us a very valuable sidelight on the 
method of our Lord in healing. He frankly tells us 
that the power comes from His Father, and that He 
is but the channel or instrument. He assures us: 
“The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He 
seeth the Father do: for what things soever He 
doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise .... And 
He shall show Him greater works than these, that 
ye may marvel.” But that these words may not be 


78 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


misunderstood, He says further, in verse 21: “For 
as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth 
them, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will.” 
And in the 26th verse He says: “For as the Father 
hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to 
have life in Himself, and hath given Him authority 
to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of 
Man.” 

The lesson for us to learn from this story is the 
old lesson of faith, which comes out in all these heal- 
ing miracles; and the less obvious lesson, often im- 
plied, but rarely stated, of the subtle identity be- 
tween sin and disease. 

The warning which Jesus gave to the man after 
he was healed is well worthy of attention, especially 
by those who have thus experienced spiritual heal- 
ing. The Divine power that heals is able to keep us 
whole. Absolution is the medicine of the soul, and if 
absolution cures the disease, it should also 
strengthen us that we may resist further tempta- 
tions. How few of us, after receiving some great 
spiritual blessing or recovering from some dread 
disease, realize the extent of our blessings. We at- 
tend the most solemn services, and return to the 
common round of daily life without a sufficient sense 
of preparedness. We leave God’s Holy Altar as we 
would leave some grand sight or pleasant spectacle, 
and we are prone to forget that if the service is what 
we claim it is, we carry Christ away with us—in 
us. The Christ who comes to us in Holy Communion 
or in Healing will stay with us if we will let Him, 
and only as we keep His presence constantly before 
us can we really obey the mandate: “Go, and sin 
no more.” 


THE PENALTY OF SIN 79 


AIM: To illustrate the transitoriness of physical 
healing when not the result of moral and spiritual 
quickening. Also to show how Faith acts as a 
dynamic, enabling the sick person to do what 
previously he had been unable to do. 


QUESTIONS : 


1. Is there good reason why we should question the 
Ministry of Angels? Does the objection urged in 
this particular miracle apply equally in all angelic 
ministries? 

2. Were the healing miracles simply criteria of Christ’s 
divine power? 

. What is the valid claim made for spiritual healing? 

. To what does our Lord ascribe His power to heal? 

. What is the command of Christ to those who have 
been healed? 

6. What do we learn here of the identity between sin 
and disease? 


Ot He OO 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 
On the Miracles, Archbishop Trench, No. 15. 
The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 12. 
The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, page 112. 


CHAPTER XI 


THE HEALING ToUCH OF JESUS 


“Jesus said, Somebody hath touched Me, for I perceive 
that virtue has gone out of Me.” St. Luke 8: 46. 


THE FACTS: 


1. A woman ill twelve years seeks healing from Jesus. 

2. Her case is desperate; she has spent all she had with- 
out conscious benefit. 

3. Overcoming her fears and timidity, she touches the 
hem of Christ’s garment. 


4. Immediately she is cured. 

5. Jesus inquires, “Who touched Me?” 

6. The distinction between thronging and touching. 

7. “Virtue has gone out of Me’—an example of sacra- 
mental healing. 

8. Jesus dismisses her with the blessing, ‘“Daughter, be 


of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole; 
go in peace.” 


F there is one thing about the Healing Ministry of 
Jesus Christ which is more characteristic than 
anything else, it is His healing touch. This has fas- 
tened itself upon the imagination of Christian peo- 
ple, and has become both symbolical and sacramen- 
tal of the compassionate ministry of the Christ. We 
might well spend some time analyzing the methods 
which were used by our Lord, and this is done in an- 
other chapter. Here let us merely remember that in 


THE HEALING TOUCH OF JESUS 8| 


more than half of the recorded miracles of healing, 
Jesus did touch the patient. 

In the Old Testament, to touch anything that 
was ceremonially unclean was to render oneself so. 
Of the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden we 
read, “Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch 
it lest ye die” (Gen. 3:3). “If a soul shall touch any 
unclean thing, whether it be the carcass of an un- 
clean beast or the carcass of unclean cattle ...... 
he shall be unclean and guilty.” Lev. 5: 2. 

One could easily fill several chapters with quota- 
tions illustrating the healing touch of Jesus. Here 
let us cite only a few: 

“Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, say- 
ing, I will, be thou clean.” St. Matt. 8:3. (Leper) 

Peter’s mother-in-law, “He touched her hand and 
the fever left her.” St. Matt. 8:15. 

wChe woman’? (0% came behind Him, and 
touched the hem of His garment, for she said, Jf I 
may but touch the hem of His garment I shall be 
whole.” St. Matt. 9: 20-21. 

“Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said 
Yea, Lord! Then He touched their eyes, saying, Ac- 
cording to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes 
were opened.” (Two blind men.) St. Matt. 9: 28. 

“And when the people were put forth, He went in 
and took her by the hand, and the maid arose.” 
St. Matt. 9: 25. 

“And when the men of that place had knowledge 
of Him, they sent out into all the country round 
about and brought unto Him all that were diseased ; 
and besought Him that they might only towch the 
hem of His garment, and as many as touched were 
made perfectly whole.” 


82 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


(Another two blind men) “What willye..... ? 
Lord, that our eyes may be opened. Jesus had com- 
passion on them and touched their eyes; and imme- 
diately their eyes received sight, and they followed 
Him.” St. Matt. 20: 32-34. 

“They brought one deaf and dumb and besought 
Him to put His hand upon him. And He took him 
aside from the multitude and put His fingers in his 
ears, and... . touched his tongue ... . and saith 
unto him, ‘Ephphatha’ that is, Be opened. And 
straightway his ears were opened, and the string 
of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain.” St. 
Matt. 7: 32-35. 

“And they brought young children to Him, that 
He should touch them, and His disciples rebuked 
those that brought them. But Jesus said, Suffer the 
little children to come unto Me, and forbid them not, 
for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” St. Mark 
10:13. 

Just after the calling of the Twelve, Jesus found 
Himself surrounded by a great crowd from all parts 
of Judea, Jerusalem, and the sea coasts, “which came 
to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases .... 
and they were healed. And the whole multitude 
sought to towch Him, for there went virtue out of 
Him and healed them all.” St. Luke 6: 17-19. 

This emphasis upon the personal touch of Jesus 
is by no means accidental. It is of the essence of the 
Incarnation. 

The woman in this story had been seeking health 
for twelve long years and had spent all that she had 
in the elusive pursuit. She had literally exhausted 
all her available resources, save the one great re- 
source of immortal faith. rarira! That wonder-work- 


THE HEALING TOUCH OF JESUS 83 


ing faculty can never be exhausted. It springs ever 
green and fresh in the human heart. It is the eternal 
witness to that latent divinity which resides deep 
in the heart and soul of mankind. The faculty of 
faith may become tarnished and rusty through dis- 
use and neglect, it may be temporarily paralyzed 
through the unbelief and cruelty of the world, the 
snares of the flesh, and the assaults of the devil, but 
you cannot destroy it. And after twelve years of 
uniform disappointment, after having her hopes 
raised to the highest point of expectation and. hope 
only to have them dashed’ miserably to the ground 
again and again—still the faith latent in the heart 
of this woman sprang into spontaneous activity at 
the approach of Jesus, and the mere sound of His 
voice. The very proximity of Jesus evoked healing 
faith, in this as in many other stories. “She touched 
Him” (through the hem of His garment), and some 
subtle radiations of His personality, some wonderful 
emanation of power and virtue that went forth from 
Him, must have reached her faltering but still eager 
soul, for she exclaims inwardly, “If I may but touch 
His garment, I shall be whole!” God instantly re- 
wards every true impulse of the human soul towards 
Himself, whenever and wherever the human heart 
vibrates in harmony with the divine will and pur- 
pose. At that critical moment the recovery of the 
patient begins, 

And so Jesus realizes what has taken place and 
turns quickly, just as the woman has reached forth 
her hand to touch His garment, and says: “Daughter, 
be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.” 

If anybody objects to this statement that it was 
not the woman’s faith, but the healing power of 


84 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


Christ that effected the cure, let me remind you that 
on the same assumption all of us should be well and 
whole, for the will of God is ever for our complete 
mental and physical and spiritual health; but to 
give effect to this beneficent purpose, the codpera- 
tion of the human will is an imperative necessity, 
in order that the circuit may be established and that 
the current of power may flow freely from the di- 
vine dynamo over the wires of faith (or, better, the 
wireless vibrations of faith) to the waiting needs of 
humanity. 

Theophylact traces a mystical meaning in this 
miracle. The complaint of this woman represents 
the ever-flowing fountain of sin; the physicians un- 
der whom she was nothing bettered; the world’s 
prophets and sages, with all their medicines, their 
systems and philosophies, prevailed nothing to 
staunch the fountain of evil in men’s hearts. To 
touch Christ’s garment is to believe in His Incarna- 
tion, wherein He, first touching us, enabled us also 
to touch Him; and on this, that healing, which in 
all those other things was vainly sought, follows at 
once. 

There are many, today, especially those who call 
themselves members of the metaphysical school, who 
rather depreciate the value of touch, and it is worth 
while to remind ourselves that no matter how great 
is the power of thought and its independence of 
physical channels of communication, there are many 
emergencies where the visible or conscious touch 
becomes of great value to us. 

Archdeacon Wilberforce has an _ illuminating 
thought on this subject in his book, The Power that 
Worketh in Us. He says: 


THE HEALING TOUCH OF JESUS 85 


“The hand, more than any other limb or organ, differen- 
tiates man, begotten in the image of his Father, from the 
whole species of animal creations, through which, in all 
probability, the external body in which we are enshrined 
was evolved by the Creator. No other animal has a hand. 
The corresponding organ in the anthropoid ape, which is 
the most like a hand, is not really a hand; it can fashion 
nothing, it is fit for nothing but to cling to a branch or con- 
vey food to the mouth. Only man has a hand, and as with 
it he stamps his impress upon nature, and founds his 
Sovereignty of civilization, and performs his deeds of 
heroism, so, when he would caress, or soothe, or comfort, 
or encourage, or bless, or stimulate, or welcome his fellow 
human being, in obedience to some secret instinct, he in- 
variably, automatically lays his hand upon him. 

“What is the lesson I propose to draw? It is not meta- 
physical nor physiological, it is theological. It is not a mat- 
ter of surprise that the laying on of hands should have 
been noted, accentuated, and incorporated into the official 
actions of the Christian Church. For what is the Christian 
Church? The ideal underlying the Christian Church, so far 
as I understand it, is the continuation on earth of the 
blessing of the Incarnation. What Christ was to God, the 
Church is to be to Christ. ‘As My Father hath sent Me, 
even so send I you.’ Jesus Christ was the manifestation, in 
a visible form, of the accessibility, helpfulness, and near- 
ness of God. God and man met in Him. He laid the hands 
of God in healing power upon the whole of humanity, and 
sanctified its entire life. The arms that opened to the little 
children, the hands that touched the lepers, the feet that 
were washed in the harlot’s tears, were God’s. Jesus was 
the Sacrament of God; the certificated channel through 
which the love of God was poured forth, the outward and 
visible sign of an inward and spiritual Omnipotence. The 
organization which He founded, and which was called the 
Church, was to be in like manner the Sacrament of Him- 
self: its appointed ordinances were to be outward and 
visible signs, thinly veiling His inward and spiritual Pres- 
ence ; certificated channels of His grace and love and power.” 


It is easy to see from the foregoing that the touch 
of Jesus was in the very highest and purest sense 


86 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


sacramental, and those who question the value or 
importance of the Sacramental Ministry should 
pause and consider how important was the place of 
the sacramental touch in the work of our Lord Him- 
self. 


THE HEALING TOUCH OF JESUS 87 


AIM: To study the sacramental importance of 
Touch in Healing; also to form some estimate of 
the present-day significance of Christ’s words, 
“Virtue hath gone out of Me.” 


QUESTIONS: 


fs} 


2. 


What seems to be the characteristic method of heal- 
ing used by our Lord? 

Give a number of examples of the healing touch of 
Jesus taken from the four Gospels. 


. Does it make any difference whether Jesus touches 


the sick person or whether they reach out and 
touch Him? 


. How did Jesus know that the woman had touched 


Him? 


. How is our faith in God illustrated by the metaphor 


of an electric current? 


. What is the deeper or mystical meaning of this mir- 


acle? 


. What part of the human body differentiates us from 


the lower animals? Why? 


. What is the relation of the Church to Christ? 
. How is the importance of the Sacramental Ministry 


illustrated in this story? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


On the Miracles, Archbishop Trench, No. 7. 

The Healing Hand, S. A. Weltmer, chapters 1 and 28. 
The Power That Worketh In Us, Basil Wilberforce, page 54. 
The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, page 117. 
The Hope That Is In Me, Basil Wilberforce, page 25. 


CHAPTER XII 


THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL CONTACTS 


“And Jesus put forth His hand and touched him.” St. Matt. 
§: 3. 


UR religion depends almost entirely upon the 

maintaining of certain vital contacts between 
God and man, without which we could scarcely con- 
tinue our existence. 

Prayer is simply the establishing of a contact— 
a spiritual contact with God. Holy Communion is 
the establishing of a contact with God through the 
wonderful power of the Incarnation. We call this a 
sacramental contact. Now contact means primarily 
touch, and we will not properly appreciate the im- 
portance of all this until we appreciate the word 
itself. 

We are of course using the word “touch” here as 
a sense faculty of man. We have five senses—Touch, 
Vision, Hearing, Smelling, and Tasting. It is now 
pretty well established that the last four are in 
reality only variations of the first—the sense of 
touch. Almost everything that enters our conscious- 
ness from without finds admittance through one of 
these five avenues of sense—the five doorways to the 
mind. This is an elementary platitude of psychology. 


THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL CONTACTS — 89 


We get all these sensations or impressions by our 
“contacts” with our environment, no matter what 
particular avenue of sense may be utilized. The mere 
use of the word “contact” here shows that they are 
all, fundamentally, means whereby we come into 
touch with the world around us and draw from it 
that which we need or desire. 

Now one of the big fallacies of our religious lives 
is that we imagine (sometimes unintentionally no 
doubt) that our chief religious contact is secured by 
coming to church on Sunday, and participating in 
the exercises of public worship. This is, undeniably, 
one important spiritual contact; but I would hesi- 
tate to say it is the most important. 

Observe the life of Jesus on earth, and you will 
see that His Incarnation consists of one long se- 
quence of social contacts. The entire story of the 
four Gospels is the story of a sequence of contacts 
with the life of humanity from every conceivable 
angle. The only occasions on which Jesus appeared 
deliberately to avoid these social contacts was when 
He felt the call to a more important and urgent 
contact; when He went into the desert or upon the 
mountain to commune in secret with His heavenly 
Father. 

Do you realize to what an enormous extent the 
success—the marvellous, incomparable success—of 
the life of Jesus was due to His tact and contacts? 
We speak of a tactful person when we mean a per- 
son who has mastered the complicated art of adroit 
or diplomatic dealing with men. The art of tact is 
the art of establishing precisely the sort of “touch” 
we would wish with our neighbors. It consists in 
establishing such a touch as will create between us 


90 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


that sort of “rapport” which most favors the giving 
or receiving of those impressions which we crave. 

We get the same root word (Latin) tactus, in the 
word contagion, by which we mean a disease con- 
tracted through touching one who is infected with 
the disease. So you see the sense of touch is respon- 
sible for the greatest good and the direst evils which 
enter into our life and experience. 

There are hundreds of references in the Old Tes- 
tament to this potency of the touch, whether for 
good or evil. 

Even in the Old Testament, the touch of the 
righteous man, accompanied by faith and prayer, 
was the touch of healing and power and life. Elisha 
went up into the room where the widow’s son lay 
dead, and shut the door, and prayed unto the Lord. 
Then, we read: “He went up and lay upon the child 
and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes 
upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and 
he stretched himself upon the child, and the fiesh 


of the child waxed warm...... and the child 
sneezed seven times and the child opened his 
eyes... .” (II Kings 4: 33-35). This account is de- 


tailed and includes methods which we would hardly 
employ today literally, and yet it emphasizes the 
tremendous value and importance of actual, literal 
touch when any great healing work was to be ac- 
complished. 

And how shall I even begin to expound the mar- 
vellous efficacy of the touch of Jesus Himself? It 
made little difference whether it was merely the 
touch of His hand or the proximity of His divine 
personality; His presence seemed to radiate a won- 
drous power which stimulated the faith of all who 


THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL CONTACTS 91 


sought Him and inspired new courage in those whose 
faith was weak. Merely to touch Jesus through the 
avenue of conversation seemed to evoke remarkable 
results. A disciple asks Jesus a mundane question 
and Jesus answers with a profound spiritual prin- 
ciple. Nicodemus enquires, “How can a man be born 
when he is old?” and Jesus replies by enunciating 
the great truth of regeneration; “Except a man be 
born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter the 
kingdom of heaven.” The disciples ask Him about 
the loaves and fishes, and Jesus tells them about the 
Bread of Life, and ends up by declaring, “Except 
ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His 
blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My Flesh 
and drinketh My Blood, hath eternal life” (St. John 
6: 53-54). 

Thomas says, “How can we know the way?” Jesus 
retaliates with the eternal truth contained in the 
words, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” 
Philip says, “Show us the Father and it sufficeth us.” 
Jesus satisfies him with the declaration, “He that 
hath seen Me hath seen the Father.” 

The woman at the well at Sychar, stirred to curi- 
osity which in turn quickly changes to a vital in- 
terest, asks Jesus for the water which will assuage 
her thirst. Jesus replies by rising at a bound from 
the earthly analogy to the spiritual reality, and de- 
clares: “He that drinketh of this water shall thirst 
again; but whosoever shall drink of the water that I 
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that 
I shall give him shall be in him a well of water 
springing up into everlasting life” (St. John 4: 13- 
14). 

Nearly all the great works of Jesus were accom- 


92 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


plished through His magic finger touch—the actual 
touch of His finger laid upon the suffering or di- 
seased person. A whole volume might be written, 
acceptably, upon the vital contacts of Jesus. And 
every time He touched anybody, it was to invoke a 
new flow of life, to rebuke disease and promote a 
renewed vitality. 

Of the leper who came to Him, we read, “And 
Jesus put forth His hand and touched him, saying, 
I will, be thou clean” (St. Matt. 8:3). 

When Simon Peter invoked Christ’s power of heal- 
ing for his mother-in-law, Jesus responded immedi- 
ately, and we read, “Jesus touched her hand and 
the fever left her’ (St. Matt. 8:15). 

His method was very much the same even in the 
case of Jairus’ daughter who was already reported 
dead when Jesus came into the room. St. Matthew 
tells us: “And when the people were put forth, He 
went in and took her by the hand, and the maid 
arose” (St. Matt. 9:25). 

Sometimes there was no disease at all; just a 
sense of desire for the mere touch of benediction 
which it was felt Jesus could bestow. Thus it was 
when the children were brought to Jesus. And still 
it was through His touch that the desired blessing 
was given. “And they brought young children to 
Him, that He should touch them, and His disciples 
rebuked those that brought them. But Jesus said, 
Suffer the little children to come unto Me and for- 
bid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven 
....<And He took them up in His arms, put His 
hands upon them, and blessed them” (St. Mark 
10: 13-15). 

St. Luke records another case in which great 


THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL CONTACTS 93 


crowds sought Jesus for this inspiring contact. It 
was just after the calling of the Twelve, and Jesus 
found Himself surrounded by a great crowd from 
all parts of Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coasts, 
“which came to hear Him and to be healed of their 
diseases ... 4). and they were healed. And the 
whole multitude sought to touch Him, for there 
went forth virtue out of Him, and healed them all.” 

But perhaps the best example for us is the case 
of the woman with the issue of blood. In that case 
we read that the multitude “thronged” Him; that 
was the accidental touch of physical propinquity. 
But the woman consciously, deliberately, even though 
hesitatingly, “touched” Him. 

Multitudes “throng” Jesus every Sunday in the 
services of public worship. Out of these multitudes 
just a few—a very few—really “touch” Him and 
thus draw from Him that “virtue” that perennially 
goes out from Him to all those who experience the 
contact of faith and trust and power. “And Jesus 
said, Somebody hath touched Me, for I perceive that 
virtue is gone out of Me. . .” (St. Luke 8: 43-46) .* 

Jesus said, “As My Father hath sent Me, even so 
send I you.” That means that we must follow His 
example; we must bring God’s message to people as 
He brought His message; and that was, chiefly, by 
means of the personal touch. In conclusion let me 
warn you that your personal “touch” will not have 
the power that is needed to win men and women un- 
less you have first touched Christ yourself, and un- 
less you are keeping in touch with Him. 

There are many contacts in this world which, 


*A number of additional examples are cited in Chapter XI. 


94 . THE HEALING EVANGEL 


though not bad or injurious, are far from being 
divine contacts. 

Nothing is more eloquent of our Lord’s habitual 
contact with the world than the familiar words, “He 
went about doing good and healing all those who 
were oppressed of the devil.” Are you doing that, 
my friend? After all, that is your duty and privilege 
as a Christian, isn’t it? Yet many are only touch- 
ing their fellow men and women to see what they 
can get out of them. So much is this so that we use 
the word “touch” as a slang term and sometimes 
speak of “touching” somebody for a dollar, by which 
we mean an attempt, by hook or crook, to extract a 
dollar out of them for ourselves! 

So we must come to Christ first ourselves, and 
come frequently, to get His Spirit—that “atmos- 
phere” which has always been so characteristic of 
the Christian disciple. And then as we go among our 
brothers and sisters, this Spirit will unconsciously 
emanate from us, and without any superficial sanc- 
tity or aloofness or assumed superiority, men will 
“take knowledge of us” that we have “been with 
Jesus.” Fundamentally this is the secret of all suc- 
cessful missionary work. And it is our privilege to 
discover this vocation for ourselves. Our social con- 
tacts during the week bring us intimately into touch 
with dozens—perhaps hundreds—of other people. 
What is the net result of our influence upon them? 
It is not sufficient that they should merely think 
us clever, or smart, or even very good-natured. Christ 
demands of us something much more than that. 
There ought to be a radical distinction between the 
consecrated Christian and his more worldly neigh 
bors. Does it always appear? 


THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL CONTACTS 95 


When your friends or associates come near you 
during the week and are cross or peeved or troubled 
or worried, does your presence really help and cheer 
and uplift them? Does “virtue” go out of you—real 
Christ-like virtue that heals and quickens? It should 
do so if you are His disciple. And yet your store of 
spiritual power, here referred to as “virtue,” will 
not be permanently depleted. You may get tired 
through your continual giving out of time and energy 
and sympathy to others; but you will be learning, 
also, the secret of perpetual rejuvenation. You will 
learn to come more and more frequently to the foun- 
tain-source from whence comes the living water of 
eternal life. Let us come boldly to the throne of 
grace and make, individually and separately, that 
“touch” of faith, so that we may go forth with a 
wonderful realization that we have touched holy 
things; that we have come near unto God, that we 
have not merely touched the hem of Christ’s gar- 
ment, but that we have received the virtue that per- 
petually flows forth from His Sacred Presence. Then 
let us go forth into the world as consecrated mis- 
sionaries of the Gospel of our Blessed Lord—into 
our own homes, our own community, and then, by 
our gifts and prayers and sympathies, unto the 
whole world. 


“Be ours the hearts and hands to bless 
The sorrowing sons of wretchedness ; 
Send Thou the help we cannot give; 

Bid dying souls arise and live. 


“O let the healing waters spring, 

Touched by Thy pitying angel’s wing; 

With quickening power new strength impart 
To palsied will, to withered heart. 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


‘‘Where poverty in pain must lie, 
Where little suffering children cry, 
Bid us haste forth as called by Thee, 
And in Thy poor, Thyself to see.” 
—Hmily V. Clark. 


THE IMPORTANCE OF SPIRITUAL CONTACTS 97 


AIM: To apply the spiritual power of the Touch of 
Jesus to our own lives and in relation to our fel- 
low men. 


QUESTIONS: 


Hm OW De 


10. 


. Upon what does our Religion depend? 

. What are some of these points of contact with God? 
. What is the primary sense faculty? 

. What does “contact” mean? Also define the word 


“tact.” 


. What striking example in the Old Testament illus- 


trates the healing power of touch? 


. Give some illustrations (not used in chapter XI) of 


the power of the touch of Jesus. 


. What did Jesus say that His disciples should do? 
. Upon what does the power of our personal touch de- 


pend? 


. What should we do in order that our store of spiri- 


tual power may not be depleted? 
How may we become missionaries unto the whole 
world? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


The Power That Worketh In Us, Basil Wilberforce, page 54. 
The Healing Hand, 8. A. Weltmer, chapters 1 and 28. 

The Sixth Sense, Bishop Brent. 

The Hope That Is In Me, Basil Wilberforce, page 25. 


CHAPTER XIII 


THE WorD OF HEALING 


“Speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.” 
St. Matt. 8:8. 


THE FACTS: 


1. A Centurion approaches Jesus in Capernaum on be- 
half of his servant who was at home sick of the 
palsy. 

. Jesus says, “I will come and heal him.” 

. The Centurion says that it will be sufficient if Jesus 
merely speaks the word of healing. 

4. He explains his faith in military terms, and regards 

the word of healing as the word of authority. 

5. Jesus eulogizes his faith: “I have not found so great 
faith, no, not in Israel.”’ 

6. Jesus assures the Centurion that his prayer is 
answered: “Go thy way; and as thou hast be- 
lieved, so be it done unto thee.” 

7. The servant is healed in that very hour. 


wo ho 


HE eulogy that our Lord gives the Centurion, 

4 thus placing his faith above that of all the others 

who came in search of healing, makes this miracle 
especially worth while to the student of healing. 

We all know that faith is of the very essence of 

healing work, and that the lack of it is responsible 

for our failures. If then this man had greater faith 


THE WORD OF HEALING 99 


than that which Jesus found elsewhere, we certainly 
ought to investigate the quality of this faith. 

In the two previous chapters we have given special 
attention to the power of the touch of Jesus. This 
miracle illustrates the value and power of the spoken 
word. Nowhere do we find a better example of faith 
in regard to the healing of the sick than we have 
here. This is the faith of which we read in the Epis- 
tle to the Hebrews, “the substance of things hoped 
for, the evidence of things not seen.” 

This story belongs very properly in Epiphany, 
following the Gospel for the Third Sunday after the 
Epiphany. This is not accidental; it should interest 
all Bible students, regardless of whether they follow 
the Christian Year or not. For the Epiphany means 
The Manifestation—the manifestation of something 
which already exists. The healing work of Jesus 
was always a manifestation of Divine power. It 
needs an effort of the mind to grasp the fact that 
our healing, our perfect health in God, is a fact at 
this very moment, but that Christian faith, and per- 
haps patience and prolonged effort, will be neces- 
sary to bring this faith out of the absolute into the 
realm of consciousness. 

This lesson, which is slightly metaphysical, is re- 
peated over and over again in our Lord’s work. 
When the light from some far-distant star first 
reaches the earth, it does not then for the first time 
begin to be. It has been shining for tens of thousands 
of years, but it is then for the first time “Epiphan- 
ized” or manifested on the earth; and so, when the 
Eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us, 
we human beings saw for the first time in history 
what had been in the mind of God, shrouded in in- 


100 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


scrutable mystery for countless ages. It was in the 
bosom of the Father for aeons of time, but only with 
the advent of Jesus did it become manifest. 

Why did it come when it did? I think the WORD 
of God made flesh—incarnated in the form of Jesus 
—came when it did because mankind was calling 
for it. It was God’s answer to the universal demand 
of the race (to quote Wilberforce), manifested just 
as soon aS mankind was ready to receive it. 

Why did Christ heal the Centurion’s servant? 
Why did He not heal the countless multitudes of 
other sick folk as well? Just because they were not 
ready for His manifestation. Mankind had been 
groping in the dark for the truth of God for count- 
less ages before Christ came. They had been bound 
by prejudices, conventions, and superstitions; hav- 
ing eyes, they saw not; having ears, they heard not; 
having hearts, they understood not. And even when 
Christ came, it was to the comparatively few that 
He made Himself intelligible, because only the few 
had the simple faith to accept Him and believe Him. 
The Centurion was obviously one of these few. 

The salient features of this story are quite fa- 
miliar. It is told twice—first in St. Matt. 8: 2-8, and 
second in St. Luke 7. There is also a story in St. 
John’s Gospel, Chap. 4, vs. 46, which bears some 
marks of similarity to this story, but it is believed to 
be an entirely different narrative. Even the narra- 
tives in St. Matthew and St. Luke are not identical 
in detail, for in St. Matthew the Centurion comes 
in person to supplicate our Lord, whereas St. Luke 
tells us that he sent others to intercede for him. How- 
ever, the two accounts agree in all essential points, 
and this is all that concerns us today. 


THE WORD OF HEALING 101 


Briefly, the facts are these: A Roman Centurion 
came to Jesus just after He had concluded His great 
sermon on the Mount and was about to enter into 
Capernaum, and besought Him to heal his servant 
who was lying sick of the palsy, grievously tor- 
mented. Jesus readily agreed to come, and said to 
the Centurion, “I will come and heal him.” But the 
Centurion seems to possess such unlimited faith in 
Christ that he does not even feel His personal, physi- 
cal presence to be necessary, for he declares, “I am 
not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof, 
but speak the word only and my servant shall be 
healed.” 

He is a soldier and an officer. When he issues com- 
mands, he does not go personally to see them obeyed, 
but trusts in his own authority, and believes that 
things will be done absolutely in conformity with 
his instructions; that his will is paramount. So here 
Christ possesses Divine authority. The Centurion 
believes in this, and implicitly expects that when 
Christ’s command is issued, the result is already an 
assured fact. This is real faith. This was the kind 
of faith possessed by the Centurion, and when Jesus 
heard his words, He marvelled, and said to them that 
followed, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, I have not 
found so great faith, no not in Israel.” To the Cen- 
turion He said: “Go thy way; and as thou hast be- 
lieved, so be it done unto thee.” And the servant was 
healed in the selfsame hour. 

This is a story which we may well apply for our- 
selves. We can use it as an exercise in self-healing 
without the help of any outside practitioner. When 
we can go into the silence and say each for himself, 
“Speak the word only, and thy servant shall be 


102 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


healed,” we shall then be fulfilling the law of heal- 
ing, and we shall make it possible for Christ to work 
a miracle in us. 

The word of healing is indeed a magic thing, using 
that term in its true sense. A word is a vehicle of 
thought, and the word of healing is dynamic 
thought; thought with marvellous results. 

We may speak with the hand as well as with the 
lips. Many times, in conducting healing services, the 
author has been conscious of a great desire to help 
some sick person, and yearning to speak the word of 
healing. But no word has come, and so hands have 
been laid upon the sick body with the intention that 
by that very act the true word of Christ might be 
spoken. And in many such cases the result has been 
even better than where some audible phrase was 
used. The healing hand transmits the word of heal- 
ing quite as eloquently as the inspired tongue. 

In conclusion let us observe that there were two 
indispensable elements in this healing: humility and 
faith. 

1: Humility: “I am not worthy.” 

This is quite a reproof to those who seek to pro- 
duce results by superlative affirmations. The exag- 
gerated assertions of some modern optimistic philo- 
sophers have antagonized many earnest seekers after 
Christian Healing, because of their obvious lack of 
sincerity. The sinner coming for forgiveness, the 
sick coming for healing, the troubled coming for 
peace, find themselves (if they come in the true 
spirit) in the presence of their Father, and become 
aware of an awe and reverence which is well articu- 
lated in the phrase, “Lord, I am not worthy that 
Thou shouldst come under my roof.” This is not 


THE WORD OF HEALING 103 


lack of faith, nor is it slavish self-abasement. It is 
that becoming spirit of humility which Jesus honors 
and rewards. 

2. Authority: “Speak the word only!” 

When humility has its proper place, then we may 
rightly exercise our Christian boldness. Faith is be- 
lief in action. A recognition of our true relationship 
to God through Christ will encourage us to “come 
boldly to the Throne of Grace in time of need.” (See 
Heb. 4: 15-16). 5 

The Centurion does not have to see his orders car- 
ried out, He trusts his own word of authority. So 
when we speak Christ’s own words as He commanded 
that they should be spoken, we have the right to in- 
ject the note of authority into our healing work, al- 
ways remembering that the authority is not ours but 
His. He is the physician, we are the dispensers. 

All this we shall apply with wonderful success in 
our ministry to the sick. The healer will hold in his 
mind God’s thought of healing, and he will offer his 
voice and his hands as channels for the expression of 
that divine healing thought. Then the patient will 
take up that thought through his attitude of great 
expectancy, and so by a double act of faith the work 
will be accomplished. 

We may sum up this teaching in an epigram, as 
follows: “The entrance of the thought of healing 
actually begins the work of healing.” 

Let us come in faith and prayer to the feet of 
Christ, bringing with us our own sick ones as did the 
Centurion. Let us say, as he said, “Speak the word 
only, and my servant shall be healed”; or as the 
Blessed Virgin said on a very different occasion, 
“Be it unto me according to thy word”; and we shall 


104 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


be surprised to find how wonderfully and how 
quickly God answers this prayer, which is the ex- 
pression of simple faith in Him. 

Many of us still have to learn the true art of 
prayer. We need to be convinced by actual exper- 
ience that the arm of the Lord is not shortened that 
it cannot save, but that He is waiting to manifest 
Himself to us, and hesitates only because of our 
little faith. 


THE WORD OF HEALING 105 


AIM: To consider the great faith of the Centurion 
in the WORD of Jesus and to study the source 
and significance of this divine authority which 
our Lord exercised Himself and delegated to His 


followers. 
QUESTIONS : 
1. What great principle is illustrated in this miracle? 
2. Explain the meaning of “Epiphany.” 
3. Why did Jesus come into the world just precisely 


4. 


5. 
. Is the spoken word the only vehicle of Christ’s heal- 


10. 


when He did? 

Why was it that Jesus manifested Himself to a com- 
parative few? 

How may we fulfil the law of healing? 


ing power? 


. What were two indispensable elements in this act 


of healing? 


. What is the becoming spirit in which to come to 


Christ for forgiveness or for healing? 


. What inference follows in regard to the superlative 


affirmations made by some exponents of optimistic 
philosophy ? 

When have we the right to speak with authority in 
our healing work? ‘ 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


On the Miracles, Archbishop Trench, No. 11. 
The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, page 131. 
The Hope That Is In Me, Basil Wilberforce, page 1-12. 


CHAPTER XIV 


THE THREEFOLD FACT OF SALVATION 


“Who forgiveth all thine iniquities, Who healeth all thy 
diseases, and who redeemeth thy life from destruction.” 
Psalm 108: 3-4. 


N one of his books, Prof. Henry Drummond has 

written two very inspiring messages on this 
verse. One is called The Three Facts of Sin—which 
are iniquity, disease, and destruction. The other is 
called The Three Facts of Salvation—forgiveness, 
healing, and redemption. 

This chapter treats of this threefold fact of sal- 
vation. 

1. Forgiveness. The forgiveness of sin is one of 
the greatest wonders of Christian experience. It 
tells us that a man may turn over a new leaf, that 
his future may be rescued from the blemishes of the 
past. And the forgiveness of sin is possible, for it 
is one of the surest facts of experience. When we 
ask the question, How does God forgive? the answer 
comes, fully and completely. We merely follow the 
Divine example when we pray: “Forgive us our tres- 
passes as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 
And Jesus elevated this scriptual ethic still higher 
when He said: “Love your enemies, do good to those 
who despitefully use you; that ye may be the chil- 


THE THREEFOLD FACT OF SALVATION 107 


dren of your Father in heaven.” Many people think 
this is impossible, but only because they have not 
seriously tried it. We have no right to say a thing 
is impossible when Jesus definitely commands us to 
do it. 

Sometimes we say, “I will forgive, but I cannot 
forget.” This is only partial forgiveness. God says, 
“As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He 
removed our transgressions from us.” Psalm 103: 12. 
David speaks of God “blotting out our transgres- 
sions.” They are wiped off the book. St. Paul speaks 
of our sins being “nailed to His cross,” and we are 
to “reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin”; which is 
perhaps the most sweeping assertion of all. 

All these verses are familiar to us—perhaps they 
are too familiar; for many a time during some 
solemn Mission when a man hears these words for 
the first time, he is profoundly impressed, and by a 
simple effort receives that complete absolution that 
is foreign to the experience of many professing 
Christians. We yet have to grasp the full signifi- 
cance of the words, “If we confess our sins, God is 
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to 
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

We understand Confession, but not the Catholic 
doctrine of Absolution. The truth is that when we 
have truly confessed our sins we have already made 
it possible for God to forgive us. The modern science 
of psychoanalysis has exemplified the importance 
of Confession, and has vindicated the Catholic doc- 
trine of Penance, but it is indeed doubtful whether 
psychoanalysis furnishes us with the actual equiva- 
lent of Absolution. Where there is moral guilt you 
cannot remove the trouble by any process of mental 


108 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


analysis. This chapter, therefore, submits the thesis 
that in this verse David anticipates, three great 
sacraments: the Sacrament of Absolution, which 
covers forgiveness; the Sacrament of Unction, or the 
laying-on-of-hands, which covers healing; and the 
Sacrament of Holy Communion, whereby our life is 
redeemed, or, to use the words of the Liturgy, we 
are “preserved unto everlasting life’ in body and 
soul. 

The question of forgiveness has already been 
treated. Let us proceed to the second fact. 

2. Healing. “He healeth all thy diseases.” Drum- 
mond gives this as the second fact of salvation. Let 
us appreciate this more fully. Healing is salvation. 
As explained in another chapter, the word “Heal- 
ing” comes from the Anglo-Saxon Halig, which 
means to make whole. Salvation comes from Salus, 
which also means whole. So to be saved is not merely 
to be rescued, but to be made whole. The text is only 
a relative statement of truth. God does not heal 
your disease, He heals you. Then your diseases van- 
ish. 

The best doctors no longer treat disease; they 
treat the patient. They do not treat the pain; they 
cure the patient, and the pain vanishes. 

Sin has its inevitable consequences, and one of 
these is disease. Disease is the result of maladjust- 
ment; of broken law; of getting out of harmony with 
God. Readjustment and “atonement” are the real 
cure for sin, as well as for disease. The atonement 
on the Cross is simply an objective demonstration 
of the atonement which is perpetually being offered 
between God and man through Jesus Christ. “God 
was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, 


THE THREEFOLD FACT OF SALVATION 109 


not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hayv- 
ing committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” 
This “word of reconciliation” I take to be a part of 
the power to absolve, which the clergy exercise, 
though, of course, this is not its only significance. 
It means to speak in the name of God, and to de- 
clare absolution and release to those who are truly 
repentant of their sins. It is a word of authority and 
power, and should only be used by those who are 
properly authorized. 

The word “Reconcile” in the original is very sug- 
gestive and significant. It is the Greek word Katal- 
lasso which means to change thoroughly. It is used 
especially in St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corin- 
thians, chap. 5: 7-21. I can best illustrate the proper 
use of this word by quoting a simple scientific ex- 
periment in chemistry. It is known as catalysis or 
catalytic action. The chemical which produces this 
action is known as the catalytic agent, and this 
chemical by its presence in a compound is capable 
of inducing chemical changes in other bodies while 
itself remaining unchanged. Now this same word is 
used in the Greek New Testament. It means to recon- 
cile or to atone. Thus we read, “All things are of 
God who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus 
Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of recon- 
ciliation; how that God was in Christ, reconciling 
the world unto Himself, not reckoning unto them 
their offences; and hath committed unto us the word 
of reconciliation (catalysis). We therefore are am- 
bassadors of Christ, as though God were exhorting 
you by us: we beseech you in Christ’s name, be ye 
reconciled to God.” 

Now this idea is fundamental to a proper under- 


110 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


standing of the Atonement, and it contributes to 
our better understanding of the Ministry of Healing. 
We are healed when we are perfectly reconciled to 
God; and to be perfectly reconciled does not mean 
any mere judicial act. It means that our very nature 
is brought into perfect harmony through the spirit 
and work of His Son Jesus Christ. 

We have another example of the use of this word 
in Romans 5: 10: “For if when we were enemies we 
were reconciled to God by the death of His Son; 
much more being reconciled we shall be saved by 
His life. And not only so, but we also joy in God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have 
received the Atonement” (Katallagan). This gives 
a delightful new significance to the old theological 
terms reconciliation and atonement. Our work as 
healers is that of Catalytic Agents. Christ within us 
is the great Catalyser, who solves and changes the 
otherwise irreconcilable elements within us that 
hurt and irritate. 

3. Redemption: “Who redeemeth thy life from de- 
struction.” The final outcome of sin is destruction: 
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” On the other 
hand the culmination of God’s action in relation 
to sin is redemption. Not a redemption of the soul 
alone, but of the body too; of the whole man. 

We are redeemed by the Atonement—by Christ 
coming and actually identifying Himself with our 
common humanity. 

Christ did not merely become a man, He became 
Man. He is the true representative of the race. “As 
in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made 
alive.” Let us listen again to St. Paul: “For the love 
of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge 


THE THREEFOLD FACT OF SALVATION 11 


that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died 
for all that they that live should no longer live unto 
themselves, but unto Him who for their sakes died 
and rose again” (II Cor. 5: 14-15). 

“But all things are of God, who reconciled us to 
Himself through Christ, and gave unto us the min- 
istry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in 
Christ reconciling the world unto Himself, not 
reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having 
committed unto us the word of reconciliation” (vs. 
18-19). “We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of 
Christ, as though He were intreating by us: we be- 
seech you on behalf of Christ, be ye reconciled to 
God. Him who knew no sin He made to be sin on 
our behalf; that we might become the righteousness 
of God in Him” (vs. 20-21). 

The Redemption is (in a word) the Atonement— 
that which is effected by the work of Christ—to 
bring us to God; to redeem our lives from sin; to 
save us from destruction—body, soul, and spirit. 

And the sacrament which most impressively and 
most inclusively applies this doctrine of redemption 
to us is the Sacrament of Holy Communion. For in 
this sacrament we have not only a remembrance of 
the death of Christ, but a sacramental imparting of 
His life. Those who accept the full Gospel of Chris- 
tian Healing cannot overestimate the importance 
of the words, “The Body of our Lord Jesus Christ 
which was given for you, preserve thy body and soul 
unto everlasting life.” David says that his life is 
redeemed—that it is saved from destruction. But 
we need this power constantly, and that is why no 
Christian is satisfied with coming once to Holy Com- 
munion. It is one of those wonderful “contact points” 


112 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


whereby our spiritual life is refreshed and replen- 
ished. And this life is indeed for the body as well 
as for the soul. 

It is extremely probable that many thousands of 
Christian people fail to attain their maximum 
strength of body and soul because they have never 
discerned the Lord’s body. St. Paul expresses a very 
important truth when he writes to the Corinthians: 
“Many among you are weak and sickly, and many 
sleep, because ye have not discerned the Lord’s 
body.” 


THE THREEFOLD FACT OF SALVATION 113 


AIM: To consider Forgiveness, Healing, and Re- 
demption in their relation to the sacramental 
teaching of the Church. 


QUESTIONS: 

1. What is one of the greatest wonders of Christian 
experience? 

2. What act on our part makes it possible for God to 
forgive us? 

3. What modification has taken place in viewpoint and 
treatment by the best modern physicians in re- 
gard to their patients? 

4. What great fact or principle is demonstrated by the 
Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ? 

5. How does a proper definition of the word “reconcile” 
contribute to our better understanding of the Atone- 
ment? Give an analogy. 

6. What is the relation between Healing and Reconcilia- 
tion? 

7. How are we redeemed? 

8. What Christian Sacrament most inclusively applies 
the doctrine of Redemption? 

9. Why do many Christian people fail to attain their 


maximum strength of body and soul? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapter 33. 
The Ideal Life, Henry Drummond. 
See also Bibliography for chapter 4. 


CHAPTER XV 


THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH 


“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me because He hath 
anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He hath 
sent Me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance 
to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set 
at liberty them that are bruised.” St. Luke 4:18. 


CAN find only one satisfactory definition of the 

true Mission of the Church, and that is to con- 
tinue, to complete, to carry out, and to demonstrate 
the Mission which our Lord Himself came to per- 
form. 

The doctrine of the Incarnation means God com- 
ing in the flesh, revealing Himself as perfectly hu- 
man and perfectly divine in order that the divine 
nature may be imparted to us, and that we may be 
made truly and wholly God’s people. 

The Church is the logical fulfillment or expression 
of the Incarnation. 

Christ was here in the flesh only thirty-three years, 
and out of that time only three years were spent in 
His public ministry. He made no world-wide preach- 
ing tours, organized no college, built no church or 
monastery; how then was He to fulfill that supreme 
purpose for which His Father had sent Him? He did 
it, first, by living out in one human life the great 


THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH 115 


spiritual principles which He came to teach, and 
then by selecting twelve ordinary, average men to 
whom He gave certain great powers and endow- 
ments. Three years He trained and prepared these 
twelve men, and even then one of them went back on 
Him; but the others received that special spiritual 
endowment which their Master had promised to 
them. They were filled with the Holy Ghost, and by 
that mighty dynamic were equipped and galvanized 
into a divine activity which has gone on increasing 
and spreading all over the world right up to the 
present day. 

There could be no doubt of the purpose for which 
Christ chose these men and set them apart. They 
were given a special work and special power with 
which to accomplish it. That special work is the 
work of the Church today, and that special power is 
the power of the Holy Ghost by whom alone the 
work can be accomplished. 

We have the marching orders of the Church 
straight from the lips of the Master: “Go ye there- 
fore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the 
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy 
Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatso- 
ever I have commanded you; and lo I am with you 
alway even unto the end of the world.” 

The instructions are clear and complete; and since 
such important words might be doubted as coming 
from only one witness, we have the same command 
reiterated by every Evangelist. The words just 
quoted are from St. Matthew. Now let us hear St. 
Mark—as usual he is very brief and to the point. 
He says: “And He said unto them: Go ye into all 
the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. 


116 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but 
he that believeth not shall be damned. And these 
signs shall follow them that believe: In my name 
shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new 
tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they 
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they 
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” 
And then in confirmation of the words, he proceeds 
to show, in the very last verse of his gospel, how 
literally all this was fulfilled thus: “And they went 
forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working 
with them, and confirming the word with signs fol- 
lowing.” 

St. Luke gives a different but perfectly consistent 
report. He says: “Thus it is written, and thus it 
behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead 
the third day: And that repentance and remission of 
sins should be preached in His Name among all na- 
tions, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses 
of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of 
the Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Je- 
rusalem, until ye be endued with power from on 
high.” 

St. John also gives a different but quite consistent 
report, and in his words there is more than a sug- 
gestion of those “Holy Orders” upon which our pres- 
ent sacramental system is based. He says: “Then 
said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as My 
Father hath sent Me, even so send I you. And when 
He had said this He breathed on them, and saith 
unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever 
sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and 
whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” 

Now, if you look carefully at these different rec- 


THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH 117 


ords of the Great Commission wherein Christ defi- 
nitely told His followers to take the Gospel to all 
nations, you will realize that they were to take 
something more than mere teaching. It was a living, 
vital message that they were to declare. So vital that 
the chief proof of it was to be the “signs following” 
to which St. Mark refers. I am well aware that the 
authenticity of this passage is questioned. Many say 
it was an interpolation or an addition. But this 
makes very little difference. For the test of these 
words is not to be found in textual criticism, but in 
the experience and life of the Church. These evi- 
dences of faith and belief have been given a thou- 
sand times in the long life of the Church, and so the 
words are true whether they were written by St. 
Mark or whether they were added at a later date. 

The Gospel of Christ brings God to man and 
brings man to God. That is why it is called the Gos- 
pel of the Atonement or the at-one-ment. 

Our Lord applies His Gospel to the poorest and 
meanest and lowest, and He comes through His 
Church and by every agency which is available; with 
great patience, divine love, and omnipotent power, 
He makes the Glad Tidings intelligible to those who 
need them. 

To my mind the Gospel was never put into more 
glorious and vigorous and vital language than is 
found in the text at the head of this chapter. Let us 
analyze the text, for in it we find the whole purpose 
of Christ’s work expressed in five avenues of service. 
The analysis would appear as follows: 

1. The Gospel to the poor. 


2. Healing for the broken hearted. 
3. Deliverance to the captives, 


118 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


4, Sight for the blind, 
5. Liberty for the bruised. 


Translate these five aspects of the Gospel into 
present-day activities, and you have: 

1. The Gospel of the Church to the poor; that is, 
to those who are conscious of their need. 

2. Healing for the broken-hearted is being minis- 
tered to the submerged tenth of society, who have 
lost all hope and all interest in life. It is also being 
ministered spiritually to those high up in the social 
scale, who have lost their grip on the divine verities, 
and are plunged into the depths of mental and 
spiritual disaster. 

3. The Church is giving deliverance to the cap- 
tives in its rescue work among the victims of modern 
sins and vices, which are threatening the very life of 
the nation as well as the success of the Church. Such 
rescue work is truly a carrying out of this part of 
Christ’s program. 

4, Sight for the blind consists in the imparting of 
a knowledge of the Truth. In the Church’s Ministry 
of Healing there are also not wanting some remark- 
able evidences that the Church has literally brought 
sight to the blind, sometimes by a direct act of faith, 
and sometimes through the agency of medical means. 

5. Liberty for the bruised means, in the original 
Greek, sending away free those whom tyranny has 
crushed (Weymouth); and this is represented to- 
day in the wide social work of the Church, especially 
in the vitiated centres of our great cities. 

Now, a rapid review of these five agencies of the 
Gospel will show that all the work of the Church 
can be and ought to be comprised under one or the 
other of these five heads. Criticism is cheap, and 


THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH 119 


there are plenty of people who will talk and write 
about the delinquency of the Church in carrying 
out the commands of our Lord, but the fact remains 
that in many places and in may ways the Church is 
interpreting for the Twentieth Century the very 
things which our Lord announced in the words of 
our text. 

Speaking officially, the Church carries out the 
program of Jesus along three lines: 

1. Social, 


2. Educational, 
3. Missionary. 


In the normal work of the Church we are preach- 
ing the Gospel to the poor by personal ministry as 
well as from our Mission pulpits and preaching sta- 
tions. Also healing is being administered to the 
broken-hearted and deliverance to the captives, and 
freedom for those whom tyranny has crushed. 

In the educational work of the Church, which is 
now being prosecuted with unusual zeal and thor- 
oughness, sight is being given to those who are 
intellectually blind. The light of the Truth, as re- 
vealed in the Gospel, is dispersing the darkness of 
heresy and error and ignorance. More sound and 
thorough teaching is being given to our children in 
the Sunday schools; up-to-date methods are being in- 
troduced; systematic and thorough training courses 
are arranged for our teachers so that they may be 
more thoroughly equipped and ready channels 
through whom the light of Truth may flow to the 
children in the Church. 

In the organized missionary labors of the Church 
today all these three agencies are being used and 
combined. Our missionaries at home and abroad are 


120 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


employing with successful results every one of these 
agencies of the Church, for necessarily their work 
must be social and educational, as well as evangelis- 
tic. | 

It would seem that the Church has immense re- 
sources, and that many of those resources are only 
latent; they have never been exploited or exempli- 
fied. The Church is only just awaking to a realiza- 
tion of its possibilities. Its sacraments and services 
and ministries are being eagerly sought after by 
those who have tried other systems and found them 
unsatisfying. These calls and privileges and demands 
impose upon us a solemn weight of responsibility. 
The world is asking for that which the Church alone 
can adequately bestow. We must use any and every 
means placed at our disposal for the carrying on of 
our divine Mission ; we must try to acquire the spirit 
and outlook of our Master, and minister as He did 
unselfishly and ungrudgingly to the supreme human 
needs of mankind. 

We must look to Him as our ideal, and realize the 
wonderful dynamic power of the ideal which we see 
exemplified in Him. Goethe says: “The highest can- 
not be spoken; it can only be acted. And Jesus 
Christ actually created the human ideal. He ex- 
pressed it in His human life, and herein lies the 
potency of the religion which He established.” As 
the Dean of Chester says in a recent book.* “The 
ideal of Jesus is not just an idea up in the air; it 
has been actualized on earth before the eyes of men. 
It is in Him in fact, in order to become in us through 
faith.” 


*Psycho-Synthesis, or A Soul in the Making, by F. S. M. Ben- 
nett, Dean of Chester. 


THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH 121 


He continues: 


“Man’s plight, in great part at least, arises from the 
intractability of the raw material out of which he has to 
build character in the World-Factory with his insufficient 
self. The pushes of his biological instincts, those urgings of 
Life immanent by which it takes care of itself in sundry 
essential particulars, prove too disintegrating for him to 
unify. Now that same Life, transcendent but humanly trans- 
cendent, comes to his aid with the pull of an actual ideal 
to which his own dynamic faculty of faith can effectively 
react. The pull of the ideal enables him to unify in his per- 
son the disintegrating pushes of his inherited deficient 
nature. In his instincts there is force; they are charged with 
emotion. In the ideal of himself—himself as God means 
him and as he can see himself in Christ—there is power— 
power that helps him to help himself.” 


And Dr. Hadfield, in his book, Psychology and 
Morals, says: 


“An ideal, if it is a true one, is an idea of special char- 
acter. It is an idea capable of satisfying the craving of the 
soul for completeness. The idea in itself is merely a psycho- 
logical fact, the ideal is an idea possessed of a certain 
quality which corresponds with the nature of things in 
such a way that it can attach to itself all our emotions, and 
therefore contains potentialities for the soul’s self-realiza- 
tion. We have millions of ideas, each of which has its in- 
fluence on our character, but only a true ideal can lead us 
to the completeness for which we crave. Ideas are like 
pebbles which disturb the wave on the shore; the ideal is 
like the celestial body which dominates the tides.” 


How easily we sing the familiar words, “O Sion 
haste, thy mission high fulfilling”; and yet how slow 
we are to fulfill this high mission, which is nothing 
less than to take Christ Himself and all that He 
means to the waiting world. Too often the Church 
scarcely realizes that she has any “Glad Tidings” to 
proclaim. We might well pause and meditate upon 


122 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


our divine commission; or better still, like the 
Apostles of old, we might ponder the words of our 
Lord: “Tarry until ye be endued with power from 
on high.” 

What the world needs today is not a number of 
books vindicating apostolic succession, but a Church 
so filled with apostolic fire and power that men 
would be moved as they were after that first Pente- 
cost of the Church. 

The Mission of the Church, therefore, like the 
Mission of Christ, is to become the spokesman of 
“The Spirit of the Lord.” Jesus lived the life He 
did and worked His miracles and left an indelible 
mark upon the world’s history, because He so per- 
fectly expressed God’s love and God’s will. It is our 
privilege today, through His abiding presence, to 
extend these same privileges to our contemporaries. 


THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH 123 


AIM: To consider the ultimate meaning of the 
“Great Commission” and to discover therein the 
real meaning of the Glad Tidings and how they 
may be translated into present-day values. 


QUESTIONS: 

1. What is the most satisfactory definition of the Mis- 
sion of the Church? 

2. How did Christ fulfil the purpose of His Father? 

3. In comparing the commission given in the Four Gos- 
pels, what conclusion may be drawn as to the mes- 
sage the disciples were to take? 

4, What was to be the proof of the message? 

5. Give the five avenues of service and translate them 
into present day activities. 

6. Why is the ideal of Jesus a practical one? 

7. What makes an ideal a true one? 

8. Distinguish between an idea and an ideal. 

9. Sum up the Mission of the Church. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapters 13 and 18. 

“Heal the Sick,’ J. M. Hickson. 

A Soul in the Making, F. S. M. Bennett. 

Our Physical Heritage in Christ, Kenneth Mackenzie, chapter 4. 
Mind and Health, H. BE. Weaver. 

Back to Christ, Sir William Willcocks. 


CHAPTER XVI 


CO6PERATION OF THE PATIENT AND THE HEALER 


The Man with the Withered Hand 


St. Matt. 12: 9-13 
St. Mark 3:1-5 
St. Luke 6: 6-11 


THE FACTS: 


. Jesus enters the Synagogue. 

He meets there a man with a withered hand. 

. The critics inquire as to the lawfulness of healing on 
the Sabbath. 

. Jesus shows the difference between humanitarian and 
commercial labor and infers that it is lawful to do 
well on the Sabbath Day. 

. He commands the man to stretch forth his hand. 

. It is restored whole as the other. 


» whe 


Oo Ol 


HERE are two lessons to be learned from this 
story. The first is the necessity for codperation 
on the part of those who would receive Christ’s heal- 
ing touch. The second is a lesson not for the sick per- 
son so much as for orthodox Christians. It is the 
lesson of a right emphasis upon the spirit, as distinct 
from the letter of the law. 
Dr. Alexander Maclaren gives us an excellent re- 
sumé of this story, as follows: 


CO-OPERATION OF PATIENT AND HEALER 125 


“The cure which follows is done in a singular fashion. 
Without a whisper of request from the sufferer or any one 
else, He heals him by a word. His command has a promise 
in it, and He gives the power to do what He bids the man 
do. “Give what Thou commandest,”’ says St. Augustine, 
“and command what Thou wilt.” We get strength to obey 
in the act of obedience. But beyond the possible symbolical 
significance of the mode of cure, and beyond the revelation 
of Christ’s power to heal by a word, the manner of healing 
had a special reason in the very cavils of the Pharisees. 
Not even they could accuse Him of breaking any Sabbath 
law by such a cure. What had He done? Told the man to 
put out His hand. Surely that was not unlawful, What had 
the man done? Stretched it forth. Surely that broke no 
subtle rabbinical precept. So they were foiled at every 
turn, driven off the field of argument, and baffled in their 
attempt to find ground for laying an information against 
Him. But neither His gentle wisdom nor His healing power 
could reach these hearts, made stony by conceit and pedantic 
formalism; and all that their contact with Jesus did was 
to drive them to intenser hostility, and to send them away 
to plot His death. That is what comes of making religion 
a round of outward observances. The Pharisee is always 
blind as an owl to the light of God and true goodness; keen- 
sighted as a hawk for trivial breaches of his cobweb regula- 
tions, and cruel as a vulture to tear with beak and claw. 
The race is not extinct. We all carry one inside us, and 
need God’s help to cast him out.” 


The withered hand would doubtless be a form of 
local paralysis, and this cure has been repeated many 
times in modern experience. In addition, however, 
to the physical malady resulting from nervous weak- 
ness or other cause, the withered hand stands to us 
for a shrunken faculty, an inhibited power. Many 
people suffer from such inhibitions today; inhibi- 
tions which have their physical as well as their men- 
tal and nervous effects upon the patient. The Chris- 
tian Gospel is a challenge to our latent powers. It is 


126 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


a Clarion call to us to exert by conscious effort the 
vigor and freedom which are ours as children of God. 

No treatment of this miracle would be complete 
without some consideration of the lesson concerning 
the Sabbath. 

Our Lord’s whole argument against His critics is 
admirably summed up in His words as recorded by 
St. Luke: “I will ask you one thing. Is it lawful on 
the Sabbath day to do good or to do evil? to save 
life or to destroy it?” With the same infinite wisdom 
which we admire in His answer to the Lawyer’s 
question, “Who is my neighbor?” (St. Luke 10: 29) 
He shifts the whole argument, lifts it up altogether 
into a higher region, where at once it is seen on which 
side is the right and the truth. As Archbishop Trench 
expresses it: 


“They had put the alternative of doing or not doing; 
there might be a question here. But He shows that the 
question is, doing good or failing to do good—which last 
He puts as identical with doing evil, the neglecting to save 
as equivalent with destroying (Prov. 24: 11-12). Here there 
could be no question; this under no circumstances could 
be right; it could never be good to sin. Therefore it is not 
merely allowable, but a duty, to do some things on the 
Sabbath.” 


Today similar technicalities are put in the way of 
the clergy and other Christian people who try to heal 
in Christ’s Name. The modern Pharisee objects that 
the healing work was done by one technically un- 
qualified—though such an one might be eminently 
well qualified by faith and personal holiness. Or they 
will insist that a simple obedience to Christ’s com- 
mand to heal breaks the unwritten laws of profes- 
sional etiquette and is an infringement upon the’ 
rights and prerogatives of the medical profession. 


CO-OPERATION OF PATIENT AND HEALER = 127 


Let us always test these by the same simple principle 
which was employed by our Lord Himself: “Is it law- 
ful to do right or to do wrong—to do good or to do 
evil; to save life or to destroy it?” Those who are 
truly led by the Spirit of God in their healing min- 
istrations are in little danger of unscrupulous prac- 
tice, and they would be the last to wish to invade the 
proper rights of the medical profession or any other 
humanitarian enterprise. 

We are still confronted with the two elements in 
religion represented by our Lord and the Pharisee. 
The Christian disciple intuitively grasps the special 
principle involved, endeavors to make it clear even 
to the unsophisticated, and applies the principle 
without delay for the relief of distress and the heal- 
ing of sickness. The words of Dr. Joseph Parker are 
worth quoting on this: 


“Let us look into this case a little further, and see how 
it touches us. Learn first that a man may break the law— 
say, the Sabbath—in the very act of ostentatiously keep- 
ing it. You can only keep the Sabbath in the heart, you 
can only keep it in penitence and in thankfulness; it can 
only be kept in its own spirit, which is a spirit of peace and 
meekness, restfulness and love. Christ’s resurrection day 
cannot be kept by finding fault with the way in which 
other people keep it. When we enter into these deeper 
sympathies and realizations of the Divine Spirit we shall 
have a cleansed world. 

“A man may dishonor the Bible in the very act of os- 
tentatiously believing that every dot, every comma, is the 
punctuation of the almost visible divine hand. The Bible 
is alive. You may have taken off its coat or patched it 
here and there with some historic or syntactical patching, 
and the coat may be none the worse for it, but the revela- 
tion is still alive, the truth is still as energetic in the 
Bible as it ever was. He honors, keeps, the Bible who finds 
its truth, its Gospel, its mighty blood, and holds them up 


128 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


as the ministries and evidences of God. We owe nothing 
to ignorance. Ignorance is only pardonable when it knows 
that it is ignorant and wants to be instructed, refined, and 
ennobled.” 


This miracle teaches once again the lesson which 
our Lord ever strove to impress upon those who came 
to Him for healing—that is the necessity for their co- 
operation. 

Our latent powers must respond to His word of 
authority. He cannot heal in the presence of lethargy, 
indifference, doubt, or despair. “Stretch forth thine 
hand,” He said to the man. He did not stretch it 
forth for him, but as the man made the effort to lift 
the withered limb, the healing power flowed through 
it, and “it was made whole like as the other.” 

Many fail to receive healing—either in answer to 
their own prayers or the prayers of their friends or 
at some impressive Healing Mission, simply because 
of their failure to exert themselves and reach out 
consciously the hand of faith, first to receive and 
then to exercise the power for which they pray. 

Many are held back from healing because the effort 
of faith on their part has become weak, and in some 
cases has not been made at all. A well-known writer 
on healing says: “Faith must do the things we have 
no strength to do, and as it goes forward the new 
strength will come. The feet must step into the deep 
and even touch the cold waters as they advance, but 
He will not fail. 

In passive waiting there will come little life or 
power from God. We must put our feet on the soil of 
Canaan, we must stretch forth our hands and take 
of the tree of life, and eat and live forever. The spider 
taketh hold with her hands and therefore is in king’s 


CO-OPERATION OF PATIENT AND HEALER 129 


palaces. So many Christians have no hands, meta- 
phorically speaking. They have no grip in their fin- 
gers, no stamina in their will, no hold in their faith. 
Hear His voice, ye listless ones: “Stretch forth thine 
hand!” it is the holding of our faith which is the 
difficulty; it is the constant activity of our faith 
which is needed. We must be ever actively waiting 
upon Him. Our prayer must be “without ceasing,” 
our faith ever burning upon the altar. In the twenty- 
third Psalm the singer says, in speaking of God’s 
great goodness: “My cup runneth over.” His life 
overflows with the gifts of God. In the metaphor he 
uses in trying to explain this overflowing, a deep 
lesson is implied. For a cup to be filled to overflow- 
ing, it requires to be held to the source of its supply. 
The water may be flowing freely and the cup quite 
close to it, but unless it is held in a certain position 
it will still remain empty. And so for the receiving 
of His healing power and for all His spiritual gifts, 
we must be in a position towards God in which it is 
possible for Him to fill our cup to overflowing with 
a constant supply of renewed energy and life. And 
this position is when it is held constantly towards 
Him by the hands of prayer and faith. This is the 
coéperation He needs from us all. 


130 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To understand the importance of co-operation 
between patient and healer and to contrast the 
two elements in religion represented by our 
Lord and the Pharisee. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. 


CO 1 


What are the two lessons to be learned from the 
story of the healing of the man with the withered 
hand? 


. How do we get strength to obey? 
. Why were the Pharisees baffled in their attempt to 


accuse Jesus of breaking the Sabbath law? 


. What type of sin does the Pharisee represent? 
. How did our Lord meet their argument and lift it 


into a higher region? 


. Upon what does our Lord’s power to heal depend? 
. Why are many held back from healing? 
. What is the difficulty in relation to our faith? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


On the Miracles, Archbishop Trench, No. 19. 

The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, page 127. 

Expositions of Holy Scripture (St. Matthew), Alexander Maclaren, 
DD: 


Refer to St. Matthew 12:9-13; St. Mark 3:1-5; St. Luke 6: 6-11 in 
any good commentary. 


CHAPTER XVII 


HEALING AND THANKSGIVING 


The Ten Lepers 


“As they went, they were cleansed.” St. Luke 17: 11-19. 


THE FACTS: 


si 
Zé 


3. 


1D OD 


CO 


On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passes through 
Samaria. 

Entering a village, He meets ten lepers “who stood 
afar off.” 

Seeing Jesus, they lift up their voices, saying: “Jesus, 
Master, have mercy on us!” 


. Jesus tells them to show themselves to the priests. 


“As they went, they were cleansed.” 


. One of them, a Samaritan, turns back to give thanks. 
. Jesus inquires: “Were there not ten cleansed? but 


where are the nine?’ 


. To the one who returns, Jesus gives His blessing: 


“Arise, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.” 


HIS story teaches us valuable lessons about heal- 
ing not to be found elsewhere in the healing 


miracles of Jesus. The two most important lessons 
for us are the lesson of obedience as the price of 
healing, and of thanksgiving as the indispensable ac- 
companiment of healing. 

This episode, though occupying only nine verses, 
forms a most dramatic picture. 


132 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


Leprosy is found to be the very type and analogue 
of sin. One writer even describes it as the sacrament 
of sin, and the use of leprosy by preachers as an il- 
lustration of the awfulness of sin is quite familiar. 
The extraordinary thing, however, is that out of the 
tens of thousands of sermons preached on the cure 
of leprosy in both the Old and New Testaments, very 
few are bold enough to draw the perfectly logical 
and scriptural inference that God has provided a 
remedy for every disease, even for this most repulsive 
and (humanly speaking) incurable disease of lep- 
rosy. 

During his recent world tour, Mr. Hickson was in- 
strumental in healing many so-called “incurables.” 
Among these there is a well-authenticated cure of 
leprosy, which occurred in Shanghai, China, thus 
illustrating the fact that under the right conditions, 
even this dread scourge still yields to the power of 
the name of Christ. 

Let us notice a few of the essential points of this 
story: 

1. The lepers had been ostracized. Their disease 
automatically excommunicated them from the society 
of their fellows. There is infinite pathos in the words: 
“They stood afar off.” 

2. They doubtless realized that this was their 
great opportunity, and like many others of whom we 
read in the New Testament, they allowed nothing to 
interfere with their quest after health. They cry 
aloud, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 
Compare these words with some of the affirmations 
in our modern literature of metaphysical healing 
where we are told boldly, almost brazenly, to declare 
ourselves perfectly well, and to insist that we are 


HEALING AND THANKSGIVING 133 


more than entitled to absolute physical wholeness. 
The objective may be absolutely right, but the method 
of procedure in these cases is very much open to 
criticism. We notice in the language of those who 
approach Jesus a marked spirit of humility, which 
is still appropriate to those who come for healing. 
If, as we have discovered in previous chapters of this 
book, disease is one of the logical results of sin, then 
it is indeed right to exclaim: “Have mercy upon us!” 

3. Now we come to the crux of the whole story. 
Upon a proper understanding of this verse every- 
thing depends. If we can discern the great lesson in- 
volved in these words, we may all share the great 
blessing of healing for ourselves. Let us notice very 
carefully that Jesus here gives instructions the car- 
rying out of which requires great faith and quick 
obedience. “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” 
The priests were the public health officers of that 
day. They alone could declare officially whether a 
person was or was not fitted hygienically for the 
privileges of citizenship. For Jesus to tell these 
lepers to go and show themselves to the priests could 
mean but one thing, namely, that they were qualified 
to pass the necessary examination. To their unso- 
phisticated minds, the command of Jesus implied an 
instant cleansing which would enable them to re- 
sume their position among normal people, and would 
qualify them to get a certificate to that effect from 
the priest or health officer. 

4. Notice that the act of obedience and the fact 
of healing synchronize: “As they went, they were 
cleansed.” For the benefit of the reader, the author 
would like to make an interpolation here. It is that 
many times during a Mission of Healing, when 


134 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


preaching on these very words, the truth of this 
verse has been signally illustrated. Men and women 
under conviction of sin, and aroused to great faith 
by the wonderful story of the Gospel, have made a 
definite act of faith by leaving their seats and going 
to the altar rail to receive the apostolic rite of the 
Laying-on-of-Hands. In giving their testimony later, 
they have not infrequently explained that they felt 
the healing power exerting a change within them 
even before they reached the altar rail. In other 
words, we might say of them most truly, ‘“‘As they 
went, they were cleansed.” 

The principle involved here is very important, and 
we should grasp it in order to be delivered from any 
popular superstition regarding the efficacy of heal- 
ing or the real value of the work done at Healing 
Missions. It is the act of obedience which brings us 
into perfect accord with the will of God, which is the 
final factor in these cases. All sickness and disease 
are the result of disharmony, and the only perma- 
nent cure is for the person suffering from the disease 
to be brought back into alignment with the source of 
his true life. This may be done after long delibera- 
tion, thought, prayer, preparation, etc., or it may be 
done instantly in obedience to an impulse which 
that person cannot explain; but in every case, where 
the act of obedience is performed and the person is 
brought into harmony with the love and power of 
God revealed in His Son Jesus Christ, the result is 
invariably the same: “As they went, they were 
cleansed.” 

5. The lesson of thanksgiving. 

In his book, The Courage of the Coward, Dr. C. F. 
Aked says: 


HEALING AND THANKSGIVING 135 


“Ingratitude seems to be the most popular sin in the 
world. It is one of the worst crimes in the big, black cata- 
logue of wrong-doing. The sin of ingratitude is the broad 
highway to envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, 
to the cowardly denials of Peter and the bloody treachery 
of Judas. Our Lord was called upon to taste its bitterness 
in a thousand ways. Between the carelessness of the lepers 
and the vileness of Iscariot, He suffered to the fullest 
from man’s ingratitude. In every phase we see the same 
ingratitude repeated before our eyes.” 


The percentage of gratitude has not greatly 
changed from that day to this. Perhaps not more 
than ten per cent of the beneficiaries of the love of 
God ever consciously return thanks for the blessings 
they have received. And it is equally true that the 
ten per cent who do this receive a blessing out of all 
proportion to those who enjoy God’s gifts without 
any conscious act of thanksgiving. 

No study of this miracle would be complete with- 
out reference to the beautiful words which were 
spoken to the leper before he left the presence of 
Jesus: “Arise, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee 
whole.” Wholeness is a bigger blessing than mere 
immunity from disease, and it is this greater bless- 
ing which is implied by the words of Jesus. It is a 
reasonable supposition that the man who is healed 
of a dread disease without a corresponding change 
morally and spiritually is liable to revert to his 
former state; but the one who is “made whole” is 
likely to go on from strength to strength, and thus 
achieve a permanent triumph over sin, sickness, and 
disease. In our prayers for healing, let us always 
seek this highest goal and not be satisfied with mere 
physical relief. 


136 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To consider the lesson of obedience as the 
price of healing, and of thanksgiving as the in- 
dispensable accompaniment of healing. 


QUESTIONS: 


a9 


9 


ae 


What special lessons does this miracle teach? 

What is the difference between the cry of the lepers 
and the affirmations of much metaphysical healing 
literature? 


. What did Jesus mean when He told the lepers to go 


and show themselves to the priests? 


. What brings us into perfect accord with the Will of 


God? 


. What is the necessary accompaniment to the enjoy- 


ment of God’s gifts? 


. What did the nine lepers lack in their healing and 


what did the tenth one gain from thanksgiving? 


. What may be the danger of one who is healed of a 


disease without a corresponding change morally 
and spiritually? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


On the Miracles, Archbishop Trench, No. 22. 

The ‘Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 138. 

The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, page 144. 
The Courage of the Coward, Dr. C. F. Aked. 

Refer to St. Luke 17:11-19 in any good commentary. 


CHAPTER XVIII 
THE ROMANCE OF THE GOSPEL 


BVERAL years ago an article appeared in the 

American Church Monthly entitled The Ro- 
mance of Communion. The article dealt with the 
element of romance in religion, but more especially 
with the religious romance which found its expres- 
sion in the institution of the Lord’s Supper. 

In this chapter the author wishes to expand this 
idea and to show how the same element of romance 
is to be found existing among all those who strive 
to present the full, undiluted Gospel of our Blessed 
Lord. 

What is romance? Canon Prichard tells us that 
“Romance is the sharing between two people of one 
of the eternal secrets. Not any particular one; any 
one.” He gives examples of these as follows: Birth, 
Death, Love, Friendship, Duty, Truth, and Beauty. 

‘When any secret is known and understood by two souls 
with full knowledge on the part of each that the other 
does really know and understand, there is romance. It is 
our name for the subtle chain that links two spirits to- 
gether within reach of infinity.” 


We must drop the idea that romance is only pos- 
sible between a man and a woman or a boy and a 
girl. The Greeks knew better than that. Some of the 


138 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


greatest romances have been between man and man 
—generally between two of widely different tempera- 
ments who share some great eternal truth and view 
it from different angles, and then are able to share 
the views thus obtained. 

The Bible is full of romance—even using the word 
in its more familiar connotation. The stories of Abra- 
ham and Sarah; Isaac and Rebekah; Jacob and 
Rachel; Ruth and Boaz; Esther and the King, are 
familiar and delightful examples. But the deep 
friendships of Jonathan and David; Paul and Barna- 
bas; Jesus and St. John, also have within them the 
true element of romance. Sometimes this same spirit 
is discernible in family friendships, as was doubt- 
less the case in the friendship of Jesus with Mary 
and Martha and Lazarus, in which case Jesus was 
the focal point of this friendship. 

We might even extend the element of religious 
romance to those drawn together in the shadow of 
some great danger, as for example Shadrach, Mes- 
hach, and Abed-nego, whose deliverance from the 
burning, fiery furnace was due to that fourth per- 
son “like unto the Son of God.” Or at a later period 
in history, the romance of the Early Christians meet- 
ing secretly in the catacombs in Rome, and finding 
fellowship in suffering, and even in martyrdom be- 
cause of that great eternal secret which had been 
mystically revealed to them in Jesus Christ. 

We must actually have fellowship with Christ to 
understand Him, and to enjoy the romance which 
is found in His service. One who is unwilling to fol- 
low the Christ into sacrifice, danger, difficulty, and 
suffering is not going to get the real, inward ro- 
mance of the Christian Religion. 


THE ROMANCE OF THE GOSPEL 139 


Rohert Louis Stevenson tells us in one of his 
essays that the test of discipleship is the willing- 
ness to follow the “hard sayings” of Jesus. How 
true this is in the practice of the Ministry of Heal- 
ing! It is indeed difficult for us in these modern days 
to believe in the simple efficacy of prayer for the 
healing of the sick when we are confronted by some 
forty or fifty different therapies, not to speak of 
the many treatments of the more orthodox forms of 
medical practice. It is so easy for the sophisticated 
to dismiss the demands of obedience to Christ by 
simply affirming that God can heal through the in- 
strumentality of the physician or surgeon. No doubt 
He does; but any sincere student of the New Testa- 
ment knows very well that medical and surgical 
healing are vastly different from that which comes 
through a simple faith in Christ. And it must be ob- 
vious to those who are sincere in their quest after 
Truth that when Jesus said “Preach the Gospel and 
heal the sick,” He was not referring to medicine and 
surgery in the same category with the preaching of 
the Gospel. 

The consecrated physician or surgeon who offers 
his skill to God and uses his talents as a gift from 
the Almighty will indeed become a most valuable 
agent for good, and his work will help towards the 
establishment of Christ’s Kingdom; but we must 
not compromise upon the simple duty and sacra- 
ment of spiritual healing as taught by our Lord and 
practised by the Apostles. 

Jesus said, “The servant knoweth not what his 
Lord doeth; but I have called you friends, for all 
things that I have heard of My Father I have made 
known unto you.” There is the blessed conspiracy— 


140 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


the spiritual romance of Christ and His disciples: 
“Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command 
you.” Christian Healing is simply the practice of 
healing as Jesus Himself exercised it. Medicine and 
surgery may be practised in a Christian spirit, but 
they do not represent Christian Healing as our Lord 
Himself demonstrated this divine art; and our busi- 
ness as followers of Christ and dispensers of His 
Holy Sacraments is to follow His teaching and ex- 
ample. 

We may quote here a story told by Canon Prichard 
in his article referred to above: 


“When Hannington was dying, having given all for the 
Africans, who misunderstood him, he reached out for a 
blade of grass and for a little muddy water, saying, “This 
is My body—This is My blood,’ and fed indeed, we must 
believe, upon Christ. Thereupon he died for those for whom 
Christ had died once for all. In him the love of Christ gave 
itself afresh. I asked a man who risked his life day after 
day upon the battlefields of France, if he had fear as death 
surrounded him on all sides. ‘No,’ he answered, ‘I was so 
possessed by the greatness of the cause that I almost longed 
to give my life to prove how much the cause was worth: 
Tt wanted to make the sacrifice.’ We all want to make the 
sacrifice when we enter into that Communion— the sacri- 
fice, it may be, of no more than a few minutes of time, 
a few kind words, a few redeeming tears. The degree does 
not matter; the desire, than which no human longing is 
stronger, is our sanction and our absolution. And with 
Christ’s Fellowship our souls will be content.” 


The stories of King Arthur and the Round Table, 
the narratives of the Christian Crusades, and the 
romance of modern Missions, all furnish us with 
that example of high courage which is inspired by 
comradeship with the Son of Man; and we today 
who are bound together by a common interest in the 


THE ROMANCE OF THE GOSPEL 14] 


practice of Spiritual Healing as Jesus taught it, 
find no small inspiration in the wonderful stories 
of healing which was done by the Great Physician 
and reproduced by His followers. We feel as we read 
these wondrous narratives that the power which 
produced them is not lost, and instead of wasting 
our time and energy in the quest of an elusive “Holy 
Grail,” we bend our energies and consecrate our 
time and talents to the bringing back of the heal- 
ing charisma which we know is still available to 
those who are led by the Christ spirit. 

As we approach God’s Holy Table, there to receive 
the very sacramental symbols of life, we are forti- 
fied and reinvigorated, and the sacramental formula 
comes with a new and healing virtue to us, as the 
words are spoken: “The Body of our Lord Jesus 
Christ which was given for thee, preserve thy body 
and soul unto everlasting life.” We meet Him there, 
and we are nerved to go forth and do His good plea- 
sure, because “Where two or three are gathered to- 
gether in My name, there am I in their midst.” 


142 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To define romance and especially to realize 
the romance of fellowship with Christ in His 
service. 


QUESTIONS: 


15: 


OU 


“I o> 


At what point in human experience does the element 
of romance enter in? 


. What causes contribute to romance? 
. Is our love of Truth or Beauty enough in itself to 


make it a romance? 


. What is a test of discipleship? 
. Is our Lord’s command to heal the sick really an 


argument for medical missions? 


. What is Christian healing? 
. Why is it difficult for us to believe in the efficacy of 


prayer for the healing of the sick? 


. Is there a definite sacrament of spiritual healing 


taught by our Lord as distinct from other healing? 


. Where do you find the Romance of the Gospel today? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


The Romance of Eternal Life, Charles Gardner. 

Life in Fellowship, The Bishop of Kensington (J. P. Maud.) 
Adventure for God, Bishop Brent. 

The Power To Heal, H. B. Wilson, chapter 4. 

The Mount of Vision, Bishop Brent. 

The Inspiration of Responsibility, Bishop Brent. 

The Divine Friendship, Jesse Brett. 


CHAPTER XIX 


Our DEEPER SELVES 


“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, what- 
soever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, what- 
soever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, what- 
soever things are of good report; if there be any virtue 
and if there be any praise, think on these things.” II Philip- 
pians 4:8. 


OU will agree that in these words the Apostle 

Paul is giving us some good advice, but per- 
haps you have not realized that here in this letter 
to the Philippian Church he is emphasizing one of 
the lessons of modern psychology. He is impressing 
upon them the importance of right thinking—the 
constructive power of thought. The principle was 
just as true, just as clear, just as practical then as 
it is now. Modern psychology does not profess to 
have discovered the constructive power of thought; 
it merely attempts to explain it, and by explaning 
it, to assist us in increasing the efficiency of our own 
faculties. 

The day has gone by (for thinking people) when 
science is conceived of as the foe of religion. For 
the last thirty or forty years, science has made such 
valuable contributions to religious thought and re- 
ligious life, and shown itself to be, beyond question, 


144 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


the friend, rather than the enemy of religion, that 
none but the narrow-minded will hesitate to welcome 
science as the ally of true religious life. 

As each new department of science has opened 
up its field, there has followed a reaction in philos- 
ophy and religion. Men have had to modify their 
ways of thinking; not necessarily to deny what they 
had previously believed, but rather to adjust their 
old faith to the new facts which have from time to 
time come to light. What geography and astronomy 
and chemistry and biology have done at other times, 
psychology is doing today; causing men and women 
to think more deeply about themselves and the uni- 
verse in which they are placed. 

If any apology were needed for this alliance be- 
tween religion and science, I think we might perhaps 
find it in the very presence of our mental faculties 
in the human organism. The God who has given us 
the capacity for knowlege and the desire to acquire 
it, is also the God who will satisfy our desires if 
we are humble and reverent students. Until Coperni- 
cus, men had conceived of a circle of lands cluster- 
ing around the Mediterranean Sea, with the vault 
of heaven above, containing God just a little way 
out of sight, and a pit below (a bottomless pit) from 
which the Devil might easily emerge, with sun as 
well as moon, a satellite for purposes of human con- 
venience. Thus this little “circle of lands” gradu- 
ally acquired a larger circumference, the “round 
world” was a flat circle fairly easily imagined, not 
a sphere whirling through space around the sun. 
Then came the Copernican discoveries, and the earth 
seemed lost in the infinity of space. Men had to 
change their conceptions of the earth so as to think 


OUR DEEPER SELVES 145 


in terms of the universe, and the rulers of the Church 
strenuously opposed new discoveries as being con- 
tradicted by the letter of Scripture. How could men, 
without defying God’s revelation, say that the earth 
moved around the sun, when the Bible says that 
“He hath made the round world so fast that it can- 
not be moved”? And so it seemed inevitable that the 
early applications of science to modify human 
knowledge should result in an enmity between 
science and religion; an enmity which, unfortu- 
nately, continued for centuries and has only within 
comparatively recent years been changed into an 
attitude of toleration and (finally) friendliness. 

The same process took place when biology came 
along with its theories of evolution; until Prof. 
Henry Drummond, who was a scientist and a 
preacher too, showed his hearers that science, after 
all, was only mankind thinking God’s thoughts af- 
ter Him. And that is the true policy for us to fol- 
low. Properly conceived, the truths of science will 
stimulate and increase our faith in God and our 
reverence for His mighty works. 

What astronomy did in the sixteenth century, 
and what biology did towards the end of the nine- 
teenth century, psychology is doing at the beginning 
of the twentieth century, and with far less friction 
than was experienced in the former cases just cited. 
Psychology is taking up familiar phenomena and 
processes: of the mind and soul and is explaining 
to us their nature and methods; it is even taking up 
such sacred subjects as Conversion, Prayer, and 
other types of religious experience, and showing us 
that these things have their mental and human side 
as well as their divine and spiritual side. And thus 


146 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


the science of psychology is appealing for a more 
rational and intelligent study of religious pheno- 
mena and a revision of some of our antiquated meth- 
ods of teaching and worshipping. 

But there are far more urgent reasons than these 
why you or I, as good Christian people, should read 
psychology and listen to its teachings. It is answer- 
ing many questions which spiritual men and women 
have been asking for years; it is solving problems 
which have been unsolved for centuries. Psychology 
is to religion what diagnosis is to the practice of 
medicine. It enables us to trace our spiritual troubles 
to their source; to know just exactly what those 
troubles are; and when we know this, we are well on 
the way to finding a cure. 

Prof. James thinks that the most important ad- 
vance made by his science in recent years is the 
discovery and development of what we call the 
“subconscious mind.” This expression has been very 
much abused, and yet it is a simple conception and 
quite easy to understand. 

As a preacher stands before his congregation, he 
sees them as a group; he sees all and yet no one in 
particular ; but suppose a child comes in at the door, 
and walks up to the front pew, and sits down, his at- 
tention will almost inevitably be drawn towards that 
child, and it will become the center of his field of 
vision (for the time being). While he is looking at 
the child, the other faces become blurred and dim 
and pass (as a psychologist would say) to the mar- 
gin of the field of consciousness. 

But the preacher leaves the church and goes home 
to dinner, and reads or walks, and for the time being 
he forgets all about this service and occupies his 


OUR DEEPER SELVES 147 


mind with other matters. These new matters fill his 
consciousness, and everything else sinks into a sort 
of oblivion. It becomes what we generally call “a 
memory.” We say that it has been “out of mind,” 
but has it? That is the question of the subconscious. 
We are told by the best scholars that nothing—pos- 
itively nothing—that enters the mind is totally lost; 
it may be forgotten for the time, but favorable cir- 
cumstances will recall that forgotten incident, those 
forgotten words, that face formerly so familiar but 
not seen now for many years. This storehouse of 
memory, therefore, is a part of what psychology 
calls the Susconscious MIND, and one of the wonder- 
ful things about the subconscious mind is that the 
active or conscious mind can learn to use the ma- 
terials stored up in this mental treasure-house at 
will. 

Before we leave this point let me remind you of a 
well-known saying of an oriental poet which is 
based entirely upon this influence of the subcon- 
scious: 

“Sow a thought, and you reap an act; 
Sow an act, and you reap a habit; 


Sow a habit, and you reap a character ; 
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.” 


That is the sequence exactly. Our actions are fre- 
quently dictated by the subconscious mind, and 
then, repeated several times, they become habits; 
and our characters are just the synthetic result of 
our acts and habits. 

But you will observe, further, that in this little 
quotation, all the results mentioned spring origin- 
ally from THoucut. This is indeed true. If we can 
learn to control our thoughts, it is logically certain 


148 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


that we shall also control our acts and habits and 
destinies. Perhaps this is one reason why St. Paul 
was so anxious that the Philippian Christians should 
think rightly: “Whatsoever things are true, what- 
soever things are honest—just—pure—lovely—of 
good report—think on these things.” “As a man 
thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Literally so is he, 
because in the ultimate analysis, a man is the sum 
total of his thinking. The just man is the man who 
thinks justly; the pure man is the man who thinks 
purely, and so. on. 

Our thoughts carve out for themselves little chan- 
nels in the brain, and the more a certain type of 
thought occupies our minds, the deeper will become 
that channel, the more permanent the tendency or 
habit. 

The subconscious realm is sometimes referred to 
as the “unconscious,” but its quality and char- 
acter are the result of what we think and do in our 
conscious acts and thoughts. 

In conclusion let me suggest one or two logical 
inferences from what we have already learned. Our 
sub-conscious minds are being fed and enlarged all 
the time by the thoughts we think and by the impres- 
sions we receive through our senses. The five senses 
—Touching, Smelling, Hearing, Seeing, and Tast- 
ing,—are avenues along which impressions come to 
our minds, to the subconscious as well as to the con- 
scious. Now these avenues need to be guarded vigi- 
lantly ; we need to pray, “Set a watch, O Lord, before 
my mouth, and keep the door of my lips, that I of- 
fend not with my tongue”; but we need to offer 
similar prayers for the other channels of sense and 
perception also. The things we see, the things we 


OUR) DEEPER. SELVES 149 


hear, are constantly influencing us; are making con- 
tributions to our minds and characters; and we 
have the divine power of witu by which we can con- 
trol these channels of approach to the mind and soul. 
Your mind and memory, and especially what we have 
been learning to call “the unconscious,” are the sum 
total of all the thoughts and impressions ever re- 
ceived. These thoughts and impressions which we 
imagined we had lost are liable—by means of suwg- 
gestion—to reappear at any time and to work good 
or evil (as the case may be) upon the life of the in- 
dividual. When you make an unkind suggestion to 
somebody, or an unworthy insinuation, or utter 
some suspicion, do you know just what you are do- 
ing? You are making an “appeal” to the mind of 
the person to whom you speak. What kind of an 
appeal is it? Your words exert a creative influence 
even as they are spoken. “Out of the abundance of 
the heart the mouth speaketh.” What kind of influ- 
ence are you exerting? Suppose the man to whom 
you speak is mistaken in his course; suppose even 
that his actions and words are evil: how are you 
going to change him? Are you going to tell him what 
a bad man he is? Are you going to remind him se- 
verely of the terrible results of his wrong-doing? 
That would be unpsychological; more than that, 
it would be unChristlike. It is the attention to good 
that inhibits evil, attention to God that inhibits 
sin. Yet with fatal perversity men tend to turn the 
attention of the sinner on the evil of his life; they 
speak of it, refer to it, cast it up as a reproach, thus 
bringing it back to memory again. They call it a 
weed which must be plucked up or a upas tree which 
must be cut down. But evil is neither a weed nor a 


150 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


tree, but a thought, a disposition in possession of 
the field of consciousness, on which the attention is 
fixed. The method of our Lord seems to have been 
to fix the attention on the good, to turn the mind on 
God, to give hope, to assure men that all things were 
possible for them in the spiritual world. His un- 
wearying appeal to this latent good in man developed 
that good. It was there by the original gift of God, 
to be believed in, spoken to, relied on; when weak 
to be encouraged, when invisible to be imputed. This 
does not do away with the need for contrition and 
repentance. Frequently the presentation of God’s 
goodness or the love of Christ will move men to 
repentance and new life when nothing else has ap- 
pealed, and we exclaim, “The goodness of God 
leadeth us to repentance.” Jesus appealed to all that 
was manly in St. Peter when He called that impul- 
sive disciple a “rock.” He who could have put his 
finger on the defects of Nathanael called him “an 
Israelite indeed in whom is no guile.” To the woman 
of Samaria, hardened by a life of self-pleasing, He 
spoke with such delicacy and tenderness that the 
true woman soul awoke within her until, forgetting 
her water-pot, she ran to tell others of a Saviour. 
The suggestion to a sinful man that there lies at 
his hand the power to do right, brings the morally 
impossible within his reach. 

I would like to press this point further, but space 
forbids; but you will see my contention. Concen- 
trate the mind (your mind or somebody else’s) on 
the thing that is good. Appeal to that, recall from 
the subconscious all the gradual deposits of a life- 
time, all the good words and good impressions and 
spiritual intuitions, and these things will become 


OUR DEEPER SELVES 151 


effective for good and righteousness and God. We 
can treat ourselves in this way. Prayer is a sugges- 
tion to our minds of the ever present power of God 
always accessible to us; the Bible, with its beautiful 
and inspiring passages, is a suggestion to our minds 
of God’s bountiful provision for us. Anything which 
will cause us to concentrate our thoughts on the 
things that are good, is a “mental suggestion,” an 
intellectual stimulus, that will help us on our way. 

I have only touched the fringe of my subject, but 
at least one may find some food for thought in the 
subject we have been studying. I close as I began 
with that fine, tonic, mental suggestion of St. Paul 
to which we all need to listen: “Whatsoever things 
are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever 
things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatso- 
ever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good 
report; if there be any virtue and if there be any 
praise, THINK on these things.” May God help us to 
do so. 


152 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To show how St. Paul, in Phil. 4:8, em- 
phasizes one of the lessons of modern psychology 
—the importance of right thinking—and to con- 
sider the relation of psychology to religion. 


QUESTIONS : 


1. What principle in modern psychology is emphasized 
by St. Paul in his letter to the Philippian Church? 
(Ch. 4:8.) 

What is your opinion of the relation of science to the 
religious life? 

. Is psychology of any use to religion? 

. What is the most important discovery of psychology? 

Why should we learn to control our thoughts? 

. What is the stuff of which our subconscious mind is 

is made? 
7. How do our thoughts and impressions reappear? 
8. What would be the right way in which to resist evil 
or sin? 
9. How is this illustrated by our Lord? 
10. How is the law of Suggestion utilized in Prayer and 
Bible study? 


bo 


O Ol md OO 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapter 5. 

The Force of Mind, A. T. Schofield, M.D. 

The Law of Psychic Phenomena, T. J. Hudson. 

The Law of Mental Medicine, T. J. Hudson. 

Our Psychic Powers, H. B. Wilson. 

Spiritual Consciousness, Basil Wilberforce. 

Steps in Spiritual Growth, Basil Wilberforce. 

Christianity and Auto-Suggestion, C. H. Brooks and BE. Charles. 
The Glory of Redemption, H. W. Workman, chapter 10. 
Three Thousand Years of Mental Healing, G. B. Cutten. 
The Psychology of Power, Captain Hadfield. 

Spiritual Radio, Archbishop Du Vernet. 


CHAPTER XX 


SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? 


“Hapect ye see signs (Semeia) and wonders (Terata) ye 
will not believe.” St. John 4:48. (See also St. Matt. 11: 20- 
24.) 


HE question before us is a common one. It is 

one which each will answer for himself and in 
his own way. My sole purpose in presenting it to you 
is to stimulate your minds to make a fit reply to 
the question. 

The New Testament word for miracle is dunameis, 
when used for healing and other epiphanies, a work 
of power, and this is the most illuminating thought 
by which to explain or understand the miracles of 
Jesus Himself. Nevertheless we must be somewhat 
guided in our study by the popular definition of 
words, and it is an undoubted fact that most people 
mean something supernatural or unexplainable 
when they employ the word “miracle.” 

The study of miracles as such has been compli- 
cated during the last thirty years by the advance of 
scientific research in every direction, and many peo- 
ple foolishly imagine that a miracle is something 
contrary to science; a most misleading and unwar- 
rantable position to assume. 


154 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


Two other words used in the New Testament are 
teras—a wonder—and semeion—a sign—both of 
which are sometimes used of. the so-called super- 
natural, but neither of which need necessarily be 
limited to this use. 

To the earnest seeker after truth who is unbiassed 
on this question, the advance of science, so far from 
disproving or neutralizing our acceptance of the 
miracles (whether in the Bible or out of it) has only 
resulted in our accepting as normal and scientific 
many things which were formerly believed to be 
impossible or even untrue. 

As a matter of fact, science itself is hecontee 
more and more reverent, and is voluntarily receding 
from its former presumptuous position in the mat- 
ter of unexplained phenomena. Science has itself 
ceased to declare a thing to be impossible or unrea- 
sonable merely because it is not yet explained by 
some sort of inductive reasoning. And the leading 
scientists in the world today would be the first to 
assure you that there are many laws of nature at 
work in the world which are as yet unclassified by 
science. 

The more nature has been investigated, the more 
has her uniformity been brought to light. Resem- 
blances have been discovered even where they were 
least expected, as for example in the similarity of 
structure belonging to animals of different species 
which at first sight appeared to be altogether di- 
verse. 

We know today beyond a doubt that the force 
which causes a leaf to fall to the ground is con- 
cerned in the revolutions of the most distant star, 
and that the law which gives roundness to a tear- 


SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? 155 


drop is the same law that moulds the planet in the 
same shape; we know that the light of today has 
exactly the same properties as the light of the pre- 
historic world. So certain are we of the universality 
of law, that we know apparent exceptions cannot 
be real. In fact, a seeming violation of law has not 
infrequently led to a fresh confirmation of its abso- 
lute inviolability. 

For example, the fact that the planet Uranus, for- 
merly believed to be the outermost planet in the 
solar system, did not move in exact accordance with 
astronomical calculations, suggested that there must 
exist somewhere a disturbing cause. The amount of 
divergence from the caculated path pointed to the 
exact spot where the disturbing cause must be looked 
for; and there, sure enough, Adams and Leverrier, 
almost simultaneously, discovered a new planet— 
the planet which is now called Neptune—the most 
remote planet in the solar system of which we have 
exact knowledge. 

Epidemics of cholera and plague, which our an- 
cestors attributed to the anger of heaven, we believe 
to be due to a violation of the laws of health; we 
no longer connect them with a sudden interference 
of Providence, but we set about tracing them to 
impure water, or to some other equally simple and 
natural cause. Examples might be multiplied with- 
out limit, but from all of them we learn that the 
universe is essentially and preéminently a universe 
of law and order. 

Now for this very reason some people object to 
what is called Supernatural Religion. To these crit- 
ics, Christianity appears a sort of chaos, where 
chance and disorder and irrationality reign supreme. 


156 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


This notion of our religion is incorrect. On the con- 
trary, the religion of Christ is also a Kingdom of 
law and order, of harmony and symmetry. 

Of the many definitions given by great and good 
men in regard to miracles I will mention only one 
or two. 

Coleridge says that a miracle is an effect “pre- 
sented to the senses without any adequate antece- 
dent.” Isaac Taylor declares a miracle to be a “frag- 
mentary instance of the eternal order of an upper 
world.” Bishop Fitzgerald calls it an event “contrary 
to general experience so far as its mere physical cir- 
cumstance, visible to us, is concerned.” 

Dean Mansel states that a “miracle need not be 
necessarily a violation of the laws of Nature; God 
may make use of natural instruments acting after 
their kind.” Or, to quote Professor Jellett, a miracle 
is “the exertion of a force not included among the 
ordinary forces of nature, and therefore in a certain 
sense different from a course of nature, and includ- 
ing an element not contained therein; or with St. 
Augustine, “What God performs out of the usual 
course of nature as it is known to us”; or with 
Amiel, “A miracle is a perception of the soul, the 
vision of the Divine behind Nature”; or with Max 
Muller, “It is the recognition of the Divine reflected 
in the light of common day.” 

Some of these are old and outworn, but they show 
how many minds have honestly sought to reconcile 
the discrepancies or apparent inconsistencies be- 
tween the religious and scientific interpretation of 
natural phenomena. 

But the most serious attack made upon orthodox 
religion by the so-called scientific school of thinkers 


SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? 157 


is that the Christian Religion depends for its most 
important and fundamental doctrines upon super- 
natural revelations. For example the doctrines of 
Prayer, the Atonement, and the hope of Immortal- 
ity ; how can these be stated and vindicated without 
resort to supernatural claims? The task is not so 
difficult as it would at first appear. 

1. Prayer does not of necessity involve a belief in 
the violation of natural laws. The same experience 
that has taught us that these laws are unchange- 
able, has also taught us that they may be counter- 
acted. We dissipate cold by lighting a fire; we pre- 
vent our buildings from being destroyed by fire by 
using fireproof materials and by taking rational 
precautions; we avoid a sunstroke by retiring into 
the shade; and so forth. 

We find that the tendency of natural forces can 
be naturally counteracted by the judicious intro- 
duction of other forces. Then is it unreasonable or 
superstitious to believe that God may deliver us in 
the emergencies of trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, 
or any other adversity, without any violent rupture 
of law, but merely by a divinely skilful adjustment 
of natural forces? 

Remember, too, that the end and object of Prayer 
is not to bring God’s will into conformity with ours, 
but rather to bring our wills into conformity with 
His! “When thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou 
shalt find Him, if thou shalt seek Him with thy 
whole heart.” 

It is impossible to speculate what wonderful pos- 
sibilities might be realized in the case of a man (or 
woman) whose life and mind and faculties should 
be placed unreservedly at the disposal of God. 


158 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


The Apostle does not say, “Let your requests be 
made known unto God, and your requests will be 
granted,” but “Let your requests be made known 
unto God, and the peace of God shall keep hearts 
and minds.” Hence the only answer to prayer here 
guaranteed is the answer of peace. 

And if there be in the universe a Mind and Heart 
superior to our own, the very effort that we make in 
prayer to realize His existence, and to submit our- 
selves to His will, must, naturally and inevitably, 
lead to peace. 

Now, I ask, is there anything chaotic, lawless, dis- 
orderly, or irrational, in such a doctrine of prayer? 

If. Look next at the Atonement, and then at the 
Resurrection. Your critic says that the sufferings 
of Christ on the Cross are inconsistent with the ideal 
conception of a loving God, and that the orthodox 
idea of God is that of a capricious and revengeful 
Deity. Also that, granted that Jesus did suffer and 
die on the Cross, it is inconceivable that He could 
have risen again from the dead. 

So far from the sufferings of Christ having been ar- 
bitrarily inflicted by a capricious and revengeful 
God, they are the most striking exemplifications of 
a universal law. 

When we consider the Mystery of Suffering, we 
see that no character can be perfected except through 
the instrumentality of sorrow. The painful battling 
with difficulties develops strength, self-reliance, and 
self-respect. Moreover pity, mercy, and the spirit of 
self-sacrifice, can only exist in beings who have been 
called upon to suffer. In the Epistle to the Hebrews 
we read that this anguish of the Man of Sorrows is 
an exemplification of the universal law. “It be- 


SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? 159 


came Him, for whom are all things and by whom are 
all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make 
the Captain of their salvation perfect through suf- 
ferings.” In other words, God Himself could only 
bring about the salvation of men by making Christ, 
their Leader and Example, perfect through that 
very discipline of sorrow which is necessary for the 
formation of a nobler character. Christ is no excep- 
tion to the reign of law. He is the most remarkable 
Example of its absolute universality.* 

III. Even in the doctrine of Immortality we may 
find an instance of the naturalness of that which is 
profoundly miraculous. The Resurrection of Jesus 
from the dead is regarded by many as the supreme 
miracle of all history, and doubtless it is. Yet when 
our eyes are opened to the real facts, we shall dis- 
cover that the “supernatural” would have been for 
Christ not to have risen. 

As Aristotle and Plato long ago explained, it is 
not our eyes that see, nor is it our ears that hear; 
it is WE that see and hear by means of these organs. 
They are but the instruments of the mind. If you 
take away a man’s telescope you deprive him of 
the kind of vision which a telescope affords. Simi- 
larly the destruction of the eye by death is the de- 
struction of common sight. But there is no more 
reason to suppose, in the one case than in the other, 
that the mind which sees is thereby destroyed. All 
modern scientific research as well as much research 
that cannot yet be designated as scientific, goes to 








*T realize of course, with the utmost reverence, that this ex- 
planation does not comprehend the problem of Sin, Atonement, and 
Vicarious Sacrifice. This is too big a subject to be attempted within 
the limits of this chapter, nor is it vitally connected with our 
topic which is ‘‘Miracles.”’ 


160 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


indicate that the mind of man is something quite 
distinct from his body, even though for a time it 
dwells in the body as in a house. 

And so there is nothing to prevent our supposing 
that the mind could perceive without material or- 
gans, or at any rate by means of organs altogether 
distinct from those with which it is at present pro- 
vided. So we may infer that there is nothing—either 
in Science or in Religion—that would lead us to 
believe that the destruction of the soul is involved 
in the dissolution of the body, or in the cessation of 
its present experiences. AS a matter of fact we have 
good reason to believe that the very life of the body 
is derived from the life of the spirit. St. James tells 
us that “the body without the spirit is dead” (St. 
James 2: 26), and Balfour Stewart assures us in his 
work on The Conservation of Energy that there is no 
scientific ground for believing that the law of the 
Dissipation of Energy, which threatens in time to 
bring the whole material universe to a deadlock, 
can in any way effect the essential vitality of the 
soul. 

Most materialistic philosophy and most anti- 
Christian science proceeds from the fundamental 
error of believing only in material evidence—that 
which is tangible and visible—whereas even science 
is showing us that the invisible forces of the uni- 
verse are the real controlling factors. 

It is the presence of these invisible factors acting 
upon our ordinary affairs that we carelessly refer 
to as miracles. What we call the normal and the 
supernormal are really inseparable. If we look deeply 
into nature we shall find there is something there 
that is to be studied neither by telescope nor micro- 


SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? 161 


scope, but which may nevertheless be recognized as 
real. When our eyes are opened, the mountains, 
which once appeared bare, will be seen to be full of 
horses and chariots of fire. In other words the nat- 
ural is essentially supernatural—using that word as 
it is generally employed. 

Again, if we carefully examine the fundamental 
doctrines of religion, we do not find, as the exact 
thinkers say we must find, disorder, lawlessness, and 
chaos. We discover, on the contrary, that these doc- 
trines, if properly understood, are in perfect har- 
mony with our common, everyday experience. With 
the course of nature, in the widest sense of the term, 
God never interferes. In other words, the super- 
natural is essentially natural. The God of creation 
is the God of redemption; and with “the Father of 
lights there is no variableness, neither shadow of 
turning.”* 

“God’s in matter everywhere: 

Flower, bird, beast, and man and woman, 
Earth and water, fire and air, 

All divine is all that’s human. 

Only matter’s dense opaqueness 

Checks God’s light from shining through it; 
And our senses (such their weakness) 
Cannot help our souls to view it, 

Till Love lends the world translucence : 
Then we see God clear in all things. 

Love’s the new sense, Love’s the true sense, 
Which teaches us how we should call things.” 


“Once men believed in Christ because they believed in 
miracles. Now, they believe the miracles because they be- 
lieve in Christ. They find miracles the natural expression 


*T am indebted for this treatment of a difficult subject to the 
volume of sermons by the Rev. A. W. Momerie, D.Sc., entitled 
The Origin of Hvil, especially the sermons on science and religion. 


162 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


of an extraordinary Person, Harmonizing action in the 
physical world with that in the moral realm. Miracles are 
no longer thought of as contradictions or interruptions of 
natural processes from without, but rather as the working 
out in nature of higher and permanent laws of reasons and 
the moral order.” A. W. Hitchcock, Ph.D., in The Psychology 
of Jesus, p. 195. 


SHOULD WE BELIEVE IN MIRACLES? 163 


AIM: To restore to the word “Miracle” its true 
meaning and to rescue it from superstitious 
uses. Also to realize that a miracle need not in- 
volve any violation of natural law. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. What Greek words are used to convey the idea of 
miracle? 

2. What do most people mean by a “miracle’’? 

3. Which definition of a miracle do you most nearly ac- 
cept, and why? 

4, What change has taken place in the attitude of Sci- 
ence towards Religion? 

5. What is the end and object of Prayer? 

6. How do the sufferings of Christ help us towards an 
understanding of the Atonement? 

7. What is the relation between suffering and character? 

Should we therefore welcome the suffering which 

comes through disease? 

9. What is the scientific view of the relation between 
mind and body? 

10. Should the word “supernatural” be employed, and if 
so, in what way? 

11. What advantage do we gain when we have developed 
an adequate view of the miraculous? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


On the Miracles of Our Lord, Archbishop Trench (preliminary es- 
say.) 

Miracles and the New Psychology, EB. R. Micklem. 

The Miraculous Hlement in the Gospels, A. B. Bruce, chapter 5. 

The Gospel Miracles, J. R. Illingworth. 

Bampton Lectures (On the Miracles), Mozley. 

Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapter 12. 

The Ministry of Healing, A. J. Gordon. 

Spiritual Healing, Harold Anson, chapter 13. 

Many Infallible Proofs, A. T. Pierson. 

Three Thousand Years of Mental Hygiene, G. B. Cutten. 

Lourdes, Johannes Jorgensen. 

The Wonder of Lourdes, John Oxenham. 

The Finger of God, T. H. Wright, chapters 1, 2 and 3 and Ap- 
pendix.) 

The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, pages 11 and 45. 

Are There Modern Miracles? Mabel Potter Daggett. 

The Living Touch, Dorothy Kerin. 


CHAPTER XXI 


THe MEeETHop oF Jesus IN HEALING. A Stupy 
IN TECHNIQUE. 


N considering our Lord’s miracles of healing, 
three important questions present themselves: 


1. What Jesus said about His miracles, including 
His healing works. 


2. The way in which Jesus appeared to heal di- 
sease. 


3. Whether we can form a satisfactory theory as 
to how He healed the sick. 


I. The only explanation which Jesus gave of His 
wonderful works was to refer them directly and dis- 
tinctly to the power of God. There are several quo- 
tations which go to prove this: 


“The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what he seeth 
the Father do.” St. John 5:19. 

“T can of Mine own self do nothing.” St. John 5:30. 

“T do nothing of Myself.” St. John 8: 28. 

“The Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” 
St. John 14:10. 


There is no reason here to assume any theory of 
indwelling or inspiration other than those common 
to devout Christian experience. 

During His Incarnation Jesus had access to no 


THE METHOD OF JESUS IN HEALING 165 


powers that are not available to His followers to- 
day as well as in the time of Jesus. 

We may attempt the difficult in exactly the same 
spirit and without any presumption if we say, “The 
Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” 
Conclusions from Christ’s own words: 

a. Human nature unaided is not competent to 
originate a force commensurate to the working of a 
miracle. 

b. The force which works a miracle orignates in 
and proceeds from God. 


If. Christ’s method as shown in His various mi- 
racles of healing. ... Jesus performed twenty-six 
miracles of healing (including raising the dead). 


1. Those in which the narrative gives no hint of 
the method employed; that is, of what He 
said and did. 

a. The healing of the dumb demoniac at Caper- 
naum. 

b. The healing of the dropsical man at Jerusa- 
lem. 

c. The healing of the blind and dumb demoniac 
in Galilee. 

2. Those in which the person healed was not in 
the immediate presence of Jesus: 

a. Healing of the nobleman’s son at Cana. 

b. Healing of the Syro-Phenician woman’s 
daughter at Tyre. 

c. Healing of the Centurion’s servant at Caper- 
naum. 

3. Those in which the narrative represents Jesus 
as saying nothing to the patient, but heal- 
ing merely by a gesture: 


166 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


a. Healing of Peter’s mother-in-law at Beth- 
saida. 

b. The restoration of Malchus’ ear in Gethsem- 
ane. 

4, Those in which Jesus simply assured the pa- 
tient that disease had departed; with no nar- 
rative of accompanying acts or gestures (one 
only): 

a. Healing of the woman with an issue of blood 
at Gennesaret. 

5. Those in which, at the moment of action, Jesus 
did not refer to the illness or condition of 
the patient, but merely directed the patient 
to do something which implied restored 
health or life. (N. B. In three of these cases 
Jesus conversed with the patient previous to 
the actual performance of the miracle; and 
in two others He used gestures, which how- 
ever, seemed to have no direct bearing on 
the working of the miracle.) 

a. Healing of ten lepers at Samaria. 

b. Healing of the impotent man at the pool of 
Bethesda. 

ec. Healing of the man sick of palsy at Caper- 
naum. 

d. Healing of the man with a withered hand at 

Capernaum, 

Raising of Jairus’ daughter at Capernaum. 

Raising of the widow’s son at Nain. 

. Raising of Lazarus at Bethany. 

6. Those in which Jesus combined words (not 
commands) with gestures or acts, these lat- 
ter, in certain cases, being somewhat elabor- 
ate: 


a9 th © 


THE METHOD OF JESUS IN HEALING 167 


. Healing of two blind men at Capernaum. 

. Healing of a blind man at Bethsaida. 

ce. Healing of the woman with an infirmity at 
Jerusalem. 

d. Healing of the man born blind at Jerusalem. 

. Healing of the leper at Gennesaret. 

f. Healing of blind Bartimeus at Jericho. 
(The narratives of this miracle vary in the 
first three Gospels. St. Matthew speaks of 
two men and says that Jesus touched their 
eyes. SS. Mark and Luke note only one 
man, and say nothing of the gesture.) 

7. Those in which Jesus uttered a direct com- 
mand; this, however, being invariably ad- 
dressed, not to the patient, but to the disease, 
or evil spirit. 

a. Healing of the demoniac in the synagogue 
at Capernaum. 

b. Healing of the demoniac at Gadara. 

c. Healing of the demoniac child at Mount Ta- 
bor. 

8. Those in which Jesus combined a direct com- 
mand, with gestures or acts. There is but one 
of this class: 

a. Healing of the deaf and dumb man at Decap- 
olis. 


ao #2 


@>) 


General Observations. 


1. In the diseases generally classed as “nervous” 
Jesus employed Method 5. 

2. In every case of blindness Jesus employed 
Method 6. 

©. In every case demoniacal possession Jesus em- 
ployed Method 7. 


168 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


4, In proportion to the obstinacy or deep seated 
character of a disease, the method which 
Jesus employed became more direct and 
forcible (the one striking exception to this 
being the raising of the dead, which is to be 
referred to later). 


These observations convince us that Jesus did not 
work in a haphazard fashion, deciding His method 
on the spur of the moment, but that, on the con- 
trary, He worked along the line of a method which 
was very well defined in His own mind, and to which 
He appeared to attach some significance. We may 
even assume that He applied some sort of a law 
to the healing of disease and that He exerted His 
power along the line indicated by the law. 

Eliminating all the various methods and ap- 
proaches which Jesus used in healing in some par- 
ticular case or instance, we find this common to all 
(according to D. B. Fitzgerald in The Law of Chris- 
tian Healing). He strove, somehow, to convey to 
the sick person the idea of health, the suggestion of 
recovery. This is of the essence of healing faith. 


III. Can we form a satisfactory theory of Christ’s 
Method? 
Here are some suggested clues: 


(1) To explain (even in some measure) the 
healing miracles, we must suppose that 
the verbal suggestion of a return to health 
was not the only thing used. 

(2) This something else, and not the verbal 
suggestion, was the real curative force. 

(3) The importance of the verbal suggestion 
lay in the fact that it codperated with 


THE METHOD OF JESUS IN HEALING 169 


the real healing force; opening the way 
for it, or somehow making it more effec- 
tive than it otherwise would have been. 

(4) The healing force was of such a nature 
that the verbal suggestion could codper- 
ate with it, to the end of making it more 
efficient. 

(5) We may suppose that the healing agency 
employed by Jesus was an existing though 
unobserved energy, which He set in mo- 
tion and directed to the end of healing 
disease. ; 

(6) This energy or force was one which was 
adapted to the precise end of healing di- 
seased conditions of the human body. 


Is there any known force which complies with the 
above conditions? There is. A suggestion of recovery, 
conveyed on the spiritual plane, and directed, not 
to the conscious mind, but to the soul of the sick 
person, would, if it were of sufficient intensity, trans- 
form itself into a curative force commensurate to 
the immediate healing of any disease. This force 
would be one with which a corresponding ver- 
bal suggestion, lodged in the conscious mind of the 
patient, would coéperate to the end of making it 
more effective. 

This arrangement of the healing miracles of our 
Lord is taken from The Law of Christian Healing, 
by D. B. Fitzgerald (Revell); Body and Soul, by 
Percy Dearmer (Dutton); and The Gospel of Life, 
by Phillips 8S. Gilman. 


170 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To show that our Lord did not intend us to 
believe that He had access to powers not avail- 
able to His followers. Also to give a resume of 
our Lord’s method in healing. 


QUESTIONS: 


if 


2. 


What explanation did Jesus give of His wonderful 
works? 

Did Jesus claim to have access to powers not available 
to others? 


. Is unaided human nature competent to work miracles 


such as those performed by Jesus? 


. Mention at least six different methods used by Jesus 


in healing the sick. Give examples of each. 


. What evidence is there to show that Jesus followed 


definite principles in His healing work? 


. What is common to all His healing miracles? 
. Was verbal suggestion the only law employed by 


Jesus? If not, then upon what else did He depend? 


. What was the nature of the healing force employed 


by our Lord? 


. How do you explain the action of this healing power? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


The Law of Christian Healing, D. B. Fitzgerald. 

Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapter 16. 

The Gospel of Life, P. S. Gilman. 

The Finger of God, T. P. Boyd, chapter 5. 

The Law of Psychic Phenomena, T. J. Hudson, chapters 23-26. 
Back to Christ, Sir William Willcocks. 

The Psychology of Jesus, A. W. Hitchcock, chapter 10. 


CHAPTER XXII 


Bopy, SOUL, AND SPIRIT 


“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith with- 
out works is dead also.” St. James 2: 26. 

“T pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be pre- 
served blameless.” I Thess. 5: 28. 


AN made in the image of God is, like Him, a 

trinity in unity. Let us consider this relation- 
ship, for such knowledge is most valuable to all who 
are interested in healing work. 


1. First, THE BODY. 


This is our visible frame, with its wonderful, com- 
plex organization, all connected with the soul and 
spirit by an intricate system of nerves and ganglia. 
The body connects us with the visible universe. It 
is responsive and liable to the same order which 
rules in the visible world. For example, the laws 
of gravity and of motion, conditions of growth, main- 
tenance, and reproduction. As possessing bodies, we 
are a part of the natural order; in so far as, and 
to whatever extent, truth can be predicated of the 
physical world, it applies to our bodies as such. 
We may here quote Francis Thompson: 


“The body is immersed in the soul, as a wick is dipped 
in oil, and its flame of active energy is increased or di- 
minished by the strength or weakness of the fecunding soul. 


172 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


But this oil (the soul) is enriched one hundred fold by the 
infusion of the Holy Spirit; the human will is intensified 
by union with the divine will; and for the flame of human 
love or energy is substituted the intense flame of divine 
love or divine energy.” 


It is our habit to distinguish soul and body as 
the two elements in mankind. But the ancients con- 
sidered the constituent elements of human nature to 
be spirit, soul, and body. This view St. Paul fol- 
lowed, aS appears in the verse above quoted: “I 
pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be 
preserved blameless.” It also appears in I Corin- 
thians 15:44-49: “It is sown a soul body (soma 
psuchukon); it is raised a spiritual body (soma 
pneumatikon).” He adds in explanation: “If there 
is a soul body, there is also a spirit body” (R.V.). 

According to this distribution of the human facul- 
ties the soul (psuche) is that center of personality 
in which resides the unity of consciousness. This is 
what we mean when we say “I.” This ego is finite 
and limited, but possesses in itself intelligence, af- 
fection, and will. The ego thinks, loves, and acts. 
It stands between body and spirit—the natural 
master of the one, the natural servant of the other. 

The body (soma) is the organized material form, 
located in time and space. By it the soul is fastened 
to one point of space and one moment of time. By 
means of body organization the soul holds commu- 
nication with the outward universe and with other 
souls. The present body is called “the soul body” 
(1. Cor. 15:44), because the principle of its organi- 
zation is the soul. The material organized is flesh 
(sara), which is always seeking to draw down the 
soul, and so to produce the carnal mind. When the 


BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT 173 


soul turns downward and minds the flesh, it is car- 
nal-minded (see Rom. 8:5-6); when it turns up- 
ward and minds the spirit, it is spiritual-minded. 


2. THE sout (Greek, psuche or psyche). 


Behind our conscious powers and sensations we 
have a vital faculty which we only discover by re- 
flection. Our bodies are maintained not only by con- 
scious effort, but by unconscious, and by the latter in 
greater degree. 

We are conscious of instincts and appetites, 
and act upon them, and so far as our normal con- 
Sciousness is concerned, that is the end. We feel 
hungry, and eat; we feel angry, and we act accord- 
ingly; but the action of which we are conscious is 
only a part of the whole. 

Our psyche, without orders, carries on various 
intricate processes, and so, despite our ignorance, 
our physical life is maintained, and the necessary 
adjustments made. 

The words of Spenser are very pertinent at this 
point of our study: 


“For of the soul the body form doth take; 
For soul is form and doth the body make.” 


3. THE SPIRIT. 


Body and soul we share with the organic world, 
and spirit is man’s distinctive prerogative; the ele- 
ment that reaches out from the concrete to the ab- 
stract, makes generalizations, moral and intellectual 
judgments, and first principles; strives after and at- 
tains to the knowledge of God. 

But while we can isolate these constituents of 
our ego in thought and, after a fashion, demarcate 


174 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


their respective functions, in reality they unite to 
make up the individual. 

Let us emphasize this interaction. Man functions 
in body, Man functions in soul, and Man functions 
in spirit. If this unity is real, no one element in it 
can thrive at the expense of another; and the re- 
verse is equally true; if our nature, our personality, 
is one, no single element in it can be perfect without 
involving the perfection of the other elements. 

St. Paul makes a splendid argument out of this 
unity of the human body when he writes to the Cor- 
inthians as follows: 


“For as the body is one, and hath many members, and 
all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: 
so also "is Christ’. 0.2% For the body is not one member, 
but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, 
I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And 
if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not 
of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole 
body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole 
were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God 
set the members every one of them in one body, as it hath 
pleased Him. But if they were all one member, where were 
the body? But now are they many members, yet but one 
body.” 


The reader is recommended to study this entire 
chapter—I Corinthians, chapter 12. 

If psychology, which is the science of the soul, is 
useful and fairly well arranged, the science of spirit, 
or pneumatology, can hardly be said to exist. There 
is approximate agreement as to how soul and body 
should function; their health or disease is easily 
recognized. But with the spirit it is different. The 
sphere of its activities and the legitimacy of their 
exercise are in dispute. But whatever these may be, 


BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT 175 


let us repeat, if our nature is one, the functioning 
in full measure of the spirit is essential to the full 
development of our being. 

We can go further and say that if the spirit is 
what differentiates man from the animal world, 
then its activities should be the predominant fea- 
tures in human life. So far from being a burden its 
exercise will quicken our every power. Our whole 
nature will, in St. Paul’s words, be “transformed by 
the renewing of our minds.” 

Having thus glanced at the tri-partite nature of 
man and considered the three parts of his nature 
which, working in harmony, make up his unity, let 
us conclude this chapter by thinking of the three as 
one, working perfectly together. 

The body will never be properly reverenced and 
appreciated until we habitually think of it as the 
Temple of the Spirit. The fundamental distinction 
between the great artists who paint wonderful pic- 
tures of the human body, and a libertine, is that 
one appreciates the body as the very expression of 
the spirit and holds this image in his mind; whereas 
the other, whose mind is not yet liberated from the 
fleshly prison, sees in the body nothing but a play- 
ground for his animal propensities. This contrast 
may be rather startling and arbitrary, but it is a 
true contrast, and a careful reading of St. Paul, 
more especially the 8th chapter of his Epistle to the 
Romans, will show us that the only way to be de- 
livered from the evils of the body is to cultivate the 
mind of the spirit. “The mind of the flesh is death, 
but the mind of the spirit is life and peace” (Ro- 
mans 8:6). And again we read: “What! know ye 
not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, 


176 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


which is in you, which ye have of God; and ye are 
not your own? For ye are bought with a price: 
Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your 
spirit, which are God’s.” (I Cor. 6: 19-20). 

This subject is of vital importance to those who 
are considering Spiritual Healing, for if the body is 
to be impregnated with the healing forces of spirit, 
it is of tremendous importance that we should be 
emancipated from wrong thinking concerning the 
body. 

Henry Ward Beecher says: 

“God made the human body, and it is by far the most 
exquisite and wonderful organization which has come to 
us from the Divine hand. It is a study for one’s whole life. 


If an undevout astronomer is mad, an undevout physiolo- 
gist is still madder.” 


Everything that we most admire about the body, 
its form, attributes, functions, etc., is the result of 
the spirit which indwells it; and we cannot too fre- 
quently reiterate the axiom of St. James: “The body 
without the spirit is dead.” 

Many beautiful hymns and devotions have been 
written about the Body of Christ, which is the focal 
ideal of Christian aspiration, as well as being the 
very objective sacrament of the Incarnation. 

If it were necesseary for our Lord, in order to ac- 
complish His mission, to manifest the perfect mind 
and the divine spirit functioning in a mortal body, 
it not only demonstrates the necessity for us to 
emulate His example, but it also shows us how the 
body may be perfectly employed for the highest pur- 
poses of the soul. If it is a fact that the human 
Christ was a sacrament of God, it is also a fact that 
man himself is a sacrament of which, as Dr. Dear- 


BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT 177 


mer reminds us, the body is the outward sign and 
the soul is the inward grace. He continues: 

“The countenance is a clear index of the spirit that is 
within, and the body is built up by the soul. Many people 
think of the soul as if it were a little ‘spark’ carried about 
the body and stowed away in some obscure recess, but it 
would be more true to say that it is the soul which carries 
the body about .... Man, we are learning, is not a body 
possessing a soul, but a soul possessing a body .... This 
conviction of the body’s worth and its infinite possibilities 
will surely never wane in Christendom; for every birth is 
a microcosm of the Incarnation, and every baby born a 
little Word of God made flesh.” 


Students who wish to pursue this subject further 
would do well to secure Bishop Brent’s little book 
entitled The Splendour of the Human Body, and 
a more recent book entitled The Romance of the 
Human Body, by Ronald Campbell Macfie. 

We will quote one sentence from Bishop Brent’s 
book to whet the appetite of the reader. The Bishop 
is writing concerning the Body of Christ Himself, 
and he says: 


“His body was the vehicle of healing power to others. 
Whoso touched even the hem of His garment with expecta- 
tion and desire felt the vivifying shock of imparted physi- 
eal vitality. When those about Him suffered from disease 
He repaired the disordered mechanism ..... The body 
was always and everywhere in His eyes a sacred thing, so 
sensitively refined that it would be defiled if its possessor 
harboured an unclean thought or let loose from the lips an 
unworthy word.” 


An Affirmation to be used in connection with the 
preceding chapter : | 
God, of whose life my life is a part, as my finger 


is a part of my hand, in whom I live and move and 
have my being, and who lives and moves and has 


178 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


His Being in me, fills my body in every cell with His 
vital power, fills my mind in every part with His 
peace, and my whole being with abundant life, mak- 
ing me perfectly whole. 

Note: The author does not believe in the indis- 
criminate use of affirmations; but this one has 
proved of wide efficacy, and many have testified to 
its value. 


BODY, SOUL, AND SPIRIT 179 


AIM: To secure a more intelligent grasp of the na- 
ture and functions of body, soul, and spirit in 
man; to understand their interaction and the im- 
portant fact that the body is built by the soul. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. In what manner is man a trinity? 
2. How does Francis Thompson improve upon the com- 
mon idea of the relation between soul and body? 
What does St. Paul mean by “the soul’? 
What does the body do for the soul? 
How are our bodies maintained? 
What distinguishes man from the lower animals? 
How does St. Paul explain the unity of the human 
body? 
8. What is necessary to the full development of our 
being? 
9. How do the great artist and the libertine differ in 
their ideas concerning the human body? 
10. In what sense is man a sacrament? 
11. Is Christian healing only for the soul? 
12. What argument do we find in the Gospels for re- 
garding the body as an evil thing in itself? 


oo fe SX. Se 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapter 5. 

Spiritual Healing, Harold Anson. 

The Source of Power, Foote, chapter 1. 

The Siath Sense, Bishop Brent, chapter 4. 

The Splendour of the Human Body, Bishop Brent. 

Divine Life for the Body, Kenneth Mackenzie. 

Our Physical Heritage in Christ, Kenneth Mackenzie, chapter 2. 

The Glory of Redemption, H. W. Workman, chapter 9 and Frontis- 
piece. 

The Spirit, BE. P. S. Hoyt. 

The Spirit, B. H. Streeter, chapter 9. 

The Whole Man, Geoffrey Rhodes, page 125. 

The Hope That Is In Me, Basil Wilberforce, page 220. 


CHAPTER XXIII 
HEALING EVANGELISM 
A Brief for Healing Missions 


PINION in the Church is still very much divided 

as to the wisdom and expediency of public Heal- 

ing Missions. Many of the clergy feel that the dan- 

gers which inevitably surround the holding of Heal- 

ing Missions are sufficiently well pronounced to 

justify them in holding aloof from this movement, 

in refraining from such an enterprise in their own 

parishes, and, in some cases, in openly condemning 
this type of Evangelism. 

On the other hand, many clergy equally sane and 
well qualified to offer an opinion have given public 
Healing Missions their hearty approval, support, 
and endorsement. 

It is impossible to lay down any final or dogmatic 
statement on this subject. Much will depend upon 
the personality of the Missioner; much will also de- 
pend upon local conditions and the degree of prepa- 
ration which has preceded the Mission; much will 
also depend upon the personality of the local Min- 
ister and his own background in Healing work, to- 
gether with his ability to influence his parishioners. 

Therefore we cannot hope to do more in this chap- 


HEALING EVANGELISM 181 


ter than indicate those general principles which 
have been found acceptable in Healing Evangelism, 
and the thesis of this chapter will be the perfect 
reasonableness of a Healing Mission as an oppor- 
tunity for the practical presentation of the Church’s 
message. 

The intelligent layman, free from theological prej- 
udice, will argue very much like this. He will say: 
“The Church believes that Christ still heals the sick,” 
or “The Church does not_believe that Christ still 
heals the sick.” If the answer is in the affirmative, 
then the Church must live up to its belief and give 
to the world at its doors an opportunity to hear and 
receive the healing message. 

The author has spent several years conducting 
Healing Missions, and has encountered all the stock 
arguments against Healing Missions, and he finds 
that in the long run these are all sufficiently 
answered by the simple doing of the work rather 
than by a series of arguments. He also finds that 
the intelligent laity are much more enthusiastic 
about the work than the majority of the clergy. This 
is not intended as a reflection on the clergy as 
of men lacking in vision, but it is intended to show 
that where the subject is preached without prejudice, 
the tendency of the laity, as a body, is in favor of 
Healing Missions, whereas (at the time of writing) 
only a minority of the clergy are whole-heartedly in 
favor of this movement. It must be remembered, of 
course, that there is a sense of responsibility resting 
upon the clergy which is not felt by the laity and 
they (the clergy) are actuated by a sense of caution 
and wholesome conservatism which will not be so 
readily experienced by the laity. 


182 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


For a full treatment of the subject of Healing Mis- 
sions, the reader is referred to the book written by 
Mr. James Moore Hickson entitled Heal the Sick, 
in which will be found a most thrilling narrative of 
a long series of Healing Missions held in every part 
of the civilized world and accompanied by an impos- 
ing array of testimonies from bishops, clergy, and 
laity in responsible positions. 

The reader is also referred to the Pastoral Letter 
of the Australian Bishops which will be found in 
Chapter XX VI of this book. 

At one of his missions the present writer was 
asked to answer certain objections which were of- 
fered to the holding of public Healing Missions, and 
it will throw more light on the argument, pro and 
con, if we print here his answers to these objections. 

Let us frankly face one or two very commonly 
expressed arguments against Healing Missions. 

1. “The Missioner relies wpon emotion instead of 
education in securing results.” 

True religious emotion is a most valuable factor 
in mission work. It will work miracles that no 
amount of teaching alone will produce. However, 
it should be remembered that every morning service 
of the mission is devoted exclusively to devotion and 
instruction. We have no “healing service” in the 
morning. Even at night a large part of the address 
is devoted to instruction. 

2. “Some of the healings which took place in Mr. 
Hickson’s missions ‘did not last’? Others who at- 
tended expecting results were disappointed.” 

Have we ever given a thought to the thousands 
who come to our parish churches every Sunday ex- 
pecting results that never come? And how about 


HEALING EVANGELISM 183 


the results of Mr. Hickson’s missions that did stand 
the test of time? Were they not well worth while? 

As a matter of fact the trouble here was not with 
Mr. Hickson but with the parish clergy who did not 
give their parishes proper preparation; who did 
not regulate the work of the mission so as to reduce 
the risk of disappointment; and, above all, who did 
not systematically follow up the mission with con- 
structive effort. At our Nazarene missions, prepara- 
tory instructions are sent out months beforehand 
and committees are organized locally to create the 
“right conditions” which mean so much during the 
actual work of the mission. 

3. “Public healing missions give no satisfactory 
answer to Christian Science. This movement grows 
and gets results because it supplies its followers 
with a working philosophy for their lives.” 

The Church already has a “working philosophy 
of life,” but it needs a more simple and direct appli- 
cation for the present day, and it requires a special 
interpretation for the sick and suffering. The So- 
ciety of the Nazarene is seriously grappling with this 
problem, and we hope shortly to be able to publish 
a practical text-book for our members and for en- 
quirers generally which will interpret and apply 
the latent stores of divine energy which the Church 
has received from her Lord. 

4. It is objected that healing missions are only 
for the sick and hence that they are likely to create 
an abnormal atmosphere. 

You might as well say that a hospital cre- 
ates an abnormal atmosphere. Jesus said, “I came, 
not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.” 
“They that are whole need not a physician but they 


184 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


that are sick.” And St. Paul says that those who 
are strong ought to bear the burdens of the weak 
and not to please themselves. We find in our mis- 
sions not only that the sick are really healed in 
many cases, but that the well people are tremen- 
dously helped spiritually by becoming fellow-work- 
ers in the work of ministering to the sick. 

5. They tell us that a healing mission focuses too 
much attention wpon the missioner, arouses faith 
in him rather than in God, and generally exaggerates 
the importance of health, which ought to be simply 
a by-product of the Christian Religion. 

This is a real danger and we constantly have to 
guard against it. However, when the missioner pre- 
pares himself by prayer, and when the local clergy 
have created an atmosphere of true faith in God and 
expectancy towards Him, this danger is reduced to 
the minimum. Frequently the healing work (in our 
missions) is done by three or four clergy all work- 
ing together at the altar rail. Thus the people are 
trained not to think that any one man has a monoply 
of this gift. Health is emphasized but not unduly 
exaggerated in our missions. Health and Salvation 
are (etymologically) identical. They really mean 
precisely one and the same thing, and it is our busi- 
ness in a healing mission to make it clear to the con- 
gregations that true salvation is always spiritual in 
origin and quality, but that it will embrace every 
department of human life—physical, moral, mental, 
and spiritual. 

6. It is claimed that our mission work has earned 
the condemnation of the medical profession and the 
best exponents of psycho-therapy. 

We quite expect opposition from some of the 


HEALING EVANGELISM 185 


medical men, especially where they have become ac- 
customed to view the whole work of healing as a 
process which belongs on the material plane. We 
know, too, that the itinerant healing evangelist who 
has no background of solid teaching or Churchly 
atmosphere upon which to depend has brought this 
kind of work into disrepute with the doctors. 

But shall we hold back because mistakes have 
been made? And have we not met medical men by 
the dozens who eagerly encourage our work? We 
can name many such and they are men who rank 
high in the profession. The medical man quite rightly 
detests quacks and charlatans and organizes all his 
propaganda against such. But he is usually courte- 
ous and even cordial to the clergy of the Church who 
are intelligently and systematically emphasizing the 
spiritual basis of all human life, and who are lead- 
ing humanity away from sin (the origin of disease) 
towards God and truth and righteousness. We can- 
not speak for those who are working outside the 
Church, but we can truthfully say that in the mis- 
sions conducted by the Society of the Nazarene we 
find it just as easy to enlist the coédperation of the 
physician and psychologist (if they are spiritually- 
minded and scientific men) as it is to enlist the 
sympathy and support of the parochial clergy. 

The final argument in favor of a healing mission 
will only be clear when you have one in your own 
community. It is the most convincing argument of 
all, yet it is difficult to express in words. ! 

We need more evangelists. The actual results 
which have come from missions already held is creat- 
ing a demand, and the clergy must rouse themselves 
to meet this demand if they want to retain their 


186 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


leadership. The Society of the Nazarene is concen- 
trating upon this problem of Evangelism and will 
welcome assistance from any of the clergy who can 
offer constructive suggestions. The Society also in- 
vites correspondence from men who feel a vocation 
for this type of evangelism. 

Healing missions need no apology. Our Lord set 
us the example, and much of His work was done in 
public in the midst of the throng and press of great 
crowds, although He doubtless much preferred to 
work with individuals, as we still prefer to work un- 
der normal conditions. 

But the preaching of the Gospel in such manner 
as to arouse men and awaken genuine repentance, 
real faith, and a tremendous belief in the Presence 
of our Lord to heal, cannot logically stop short 
without an opportunity for a definite act of faith. 
So it is that the actual work of healing is taken 
into our parish churches with missions conducted 
on these lines—and always with the most blessed 
and wonderful results. 

We equally agree with our critics that private 
treatment is the normal procedure for the parish 
priest who has made Spiritual Healing a regular 
part of his pastoral duties. But just as the believer 
in auricular confession would not want to abolish 
the General Confession in church; just as the be- 
liever in good, constructive preaching week by week 
in the pulpits of our parish churches would not ob- 
ject to the more searching appeals of the gifted 
evangelist during a parochial mission or a Lenten 
retreat, so, in like manner, it is felt that the Healing 
Mission has a legitimate and helpful function to 
perform in the life of the Church. 


HEALING EVANGELISM 187 


Sin is an emergency; sickness is an emergency; 
and in times of emergency men will do anything and 
go anywhere in search of relief. It has been said 
that people come to our missions only for physical 
relief or surcease from their sufferings. This may 
be true in some cases; but let their motive be what 
it will, the fact remains that they hear the truth; 
they learn the simple, divine, and scriptural terms 
upon which salvation (for body, soul, and spirit) 
may be obtained, and they-find in the church those 
who will lend them a hand and help them to find 
the great Physician. 


188 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To discover the main arguments for and 
against the holding of healing missions and to 
arrive at a satisfactory conclusion. 


QUESTIONS: 

1. What is the best way to test the value of a healing 
mission ? 

2. Has religious emotion a proper place in healing work? 

3. When results are not forthcoming, what may be the 
real reason? 

4. Do we need a philosophy of life other than that which 
the Church supplies? 

5. Are healing missions only for the sick? 

6. Do they necessarily create an abnormal atmosphere? 

7. How can we obviate the danger of too much atten- 
tion being focussed upon the missioner? 

8. Is health a by-product of the Christian religion? 

9. Is there any good reason why Christian healing 
should be discountenanced by the medical profes- 
sion? 

10. What indicates the need for healing evangelism? 

11. How are healing and preaching related? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


“Heal the Sick,’ J. M. Hickson. 

The New Hvangelism, Henry Drummond. 

The Missioner’s Handbook, Paul B. Bull, C.R. 

The Evangelistic Note, W. J. Dawson. 

Washington Conference Reports (Nazarene) pages 70-93. 


CHAPTER XXIV 


THE VERDICT OF THE BISHOPS 


The Scope and Purpose of a Recent Questionnaire 


NE of the most striking things in the modern 

revival of Christian Healing is the fact that the 
movement has found such a congenial soil in the 
Anglican Communion, Various explanations will be 
forthcoming to account for this, but perhaps the 
simplest one is that Christian Healing naturally has 
a sacramental basis, is a by-product of the Incarna- 
tion, and can be presented most successfully with 
a background of simple ceremonial. These con- 
ditions are all readily accessible in the average 
Anglican parish. 

Nevertheless many sober-minded people have been 
moved to wonder that such an ultra-conservative 
organization should extend even tacit approval to 
a spontaneous movement of this kind. For while 
the fundamentals of Christian Healing are implicit 
in the teachings and practice of the Church, the fact 
remains that it is a new movement—or, shall we 
say, a new emphasis. 

A still more surprising phenomenon is that the 
movement has already earned the approval or sanc- 
tion of a large number of Anglican parishes. I am 


190 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


well aware that many of these expressions of approv- 
al are qualified; many of them contain strong words 
of caution mingled with the general sanction given. 
But the general sanction remains, and a survey of 
these expressions of Episcopal sanction are highly 
encouraging and very gratifying to the believer in 
Christian Healing. 

The writer is cognizant of five different societies 
working within the Anglican Communion, and every 
one of these societies numbers among its officers or 
patrons, one or more of the Anglican bishops. 

This desire for Episcopal approval and endorse- 
ment is not a mere craving for influential recogni- 
tion; it is not based on any spirit of servility; it 
is rather a recognition, conscious or unconscious, 
that any movement within an Episcopal Church 
must earn the approval of the bishops if it is to 
have the endorsement of the Church as such. It may 
be mentioned incidentally that every Anglican 
bishop receives the commission to heal the sick, and 
this is stated very definitely in the Order of Con- 
secration. The reader is asked to study carefully the 
phrasing of this commission as it appears in the 
English and American Prayer Books. 

There is further a feeling on the part of the clergy 
who are actively engaged in the Ministry of Healing 
that their work should have the approval of the 
bishops under whom they labor. This is as it should 
be and quite in the interest of efficient good order 
and good discipline. 

In view of the foregoing remarks, it was only 
natural that the Society of the Nazarene, laboring 
chiefly among the Episcopal Churches of America, 
should seek a more definite expression of approval 


THE VERDICT OF THE BISHOPS 19] 


from the bishops of the Church. Therefore in Decem- 
ber 1923, a letter was sent out to all the Anglican 
bishops containing a Questionnaire in which it was 
respectfully asked that the bishops would give their 
reaction to this important movement. The Society 
sent with the letter some samples of its literature, 
not with the idea that this was an exhausive state- 
ment of the healing message, but that it was at least 
a fair example of what many of the faithful clergy 
and laity were using in their effort to present Christ 
to the people as the Healing Saviour. 

We present below a copy of the Questionnaire, 
and the reader is asked to glance over these ques- 
tions before studying the comments which are of- 
fered thereon. 

A QUESTIONNAIRE 


1. Do you share the general endorsement given to the 
Ministry of Healing at the last Lambeth Confer- 
ence? 

2. Do you think sufficient consideration is given to this 
Ministry in the Anglican Churches to-day? 

38. Do you authorize Healing—either by Anointing or 
the Laying-on of hands—by the clergy of your Dio- 
cese? 

4. Do you approve of Guilds or Societies working in 
the Church for the fuller recognition of this Minis- 
try of Healing; e.g., The Society of the Nazarene, 
or the various Guilds of Health? 

5. If you do not approve of such Societies, what substi- 
tute would you suggest for the work they are doing 
in seeking to restore this Apostolic practice which 
has so generally lapsed? 

6. How do you construe the command to “Heal the Sick” 
which is given in the Prayer Book office for the Con- 
secration of Bishops? 

(a) Do you regard it as fulfilled through Episcopal 
sanction of medical or hospital work? or 


192 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


(b) Do you think it refers to the direct or delegated 
ministry through Prayer, Anointing, the Lay- 
ing-on of hands, etc.? 

7. Do you think our Lord’s command to ‘Preach the 
Gospel and heal the sick” should still be interpreted 
as a double commission? 

(a) Is it fulfilled by simple coédperation between the 
Clergy and the Medical profession? or 

(b) Does it refer primarily to Spiritual Healing as 
one manner of giving effect to the Gospel mes- 
sage? 


8. Have you, during your ministry or episcopate, had 
any direct experience in the Ministry of Healing? 
If so, does your experience or observation cause 
you to desire a fuller and more active revival of 
this work within the Church? 


9. Would you sanction or encourage the organizing of 
Nazarene Guilds (or Guilds of Health) in your 
Diocese with the proper and needful codperation of 
the parochial clergy? 


It is difficult to express in a few words the general 
results of this Questionnaire. The most instructive 
and enlightening reactions will be found in the chap- 
ters following, which contain extracts from letters 
or questionnaires. We may therefore remark for 
the benefit of those interested, that some one hun- 
dred and sixty replies were received to the Ques- 
tionnaire, and that of these, one hundred and 
twenty-five replied in the affirmative to Question 1. 
The balance expressed only a partial approval, while 
some three or four actually disapproved of the ac- 
tion of the Lambeth Conference. 

In reply to Question 2 the overwhelming major- 
ity replied in the negative, six were non-committal, 
and six replied in the affirmative. 

In reply to Question 3, one hundred replied in 


THE VERDICT OF THE BISHOPS 193 


the affirmative, six were non-committal, while 
twenty-five ignored the question. 

In reply to Question 4, two-thirds replied in the 
affirmative, with proper safe-guards, eight were non- 
committal, twelve expressed doubt concerning the 
wisdom of such organizations, and twenty ignored 
the question. 

Question 5 seemed to excite a great deal of in- 
terest and considerable diversity of opinion. Ap- 
proximately one-third of the replies indicated that 
instruction and private ministrations from the paro- 
chial clergy would furnish all that was necessary 
in this respect; ten felt that Societies already exis- 
ting for prayer and private devotion could reason- 
ably furnish what was necessary in the revival of 
the Healing Ministry; two or three thought it should 
be left to individuals in the Church who possessed 
special gifts; others were in favor of leaving the 
matter entirely to the discretion of the parochial 
clergy; some fifteen or twenty ignored the question. 

In reply to Question 6 the answers were exceed- 
ingly instructive. Forty considered that the com- 
mand to “Heal the Sick” was adequately fulfilled 
through Episcopal sanction of medical or hospital 
work; thirty considered that it was only paritally 
fulfilled in this way. More than half felt that the 
Divine command to Heal the Sick was not suf- 
ficiently discharged by any mere endorsement of 
medical enterprise. In answer to the second part of 
this question, one-half of the answers received were 
in the affirmative and the greater part of those re- 
maining considered that the command to “Heal the 
Sick” was fulfilled jointly through the efforts of the 
clergy and the medical profession, each specializing 


194 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


in his peculiar territory and all working in codpera- 
tion. 

In reply to Question 7, fifty feel that the command 
to “Preach the Gospel and Heal the Sick” means 
something more than a working agreement between 
the clergy and the medical profession; twenty-five 
felt that this codperation was a partial obedience to 
our Lord’s commands; sixty-eight felt that the com- 
mand did refer primarily to Spiritual Healing as 
one manner of giving effect to the Gospel message. 
A majority of the replies to this question accepted 
the joint commission to “Preach and Heal” as a 
major responsibility of the Church. 

Question 8 elicited some very constructive 
replies, and it was interesting to learn how many of 
the bishops had, at some period in their ministry, 
experienced directly the power of the Ministry of 
Healing. Nearly two-thirds of the replies reflected a 
desire for fuller and more active revival of this work 
within the Church. Some of the personal exper- 
iences given in response to this question will be 
found in the next chapter. The author, who under- 
took the responsibility of sending out the Question- 
naire in the name of the Society of the Nazarene, 
wishes to declare here that the answers to Question 
8 were in themselves a sufficient justification for 
the time, trouble, and expense involved in undertak- 
ing this Questionnaire. There is something wonder- 
fully convincing in personal experience and per- 
sonal testimony, and one bishop, who writes from 
first hand experience and can give definite instances 
of healing, will, in the long run, prove more con- 
vincing than twenty-five bishops who merely offer 
opinions or theories. 


THE VERDICT OF THE BISHOPS 195 


In answer to Question 9, ninety responded in the 
affirmative; twelve in the negative; ten said they 
felt they did not possess any jurisdiction in the mat- 
ter; a dozen felt that the sanction would have to 
be entirely with the parish clergy, six were non- 
committal; eight others felt that they should wait 
before answering the question in order to find out 
how others felt; twenty-five offered no reply to this 
question. 

A very interesting commentary on this whole 
question will be found in the book recently published 
by Mr. James Moore Hickson in which he prints, in 
full, a large number of Episcopal endorsements given 
to him during his recent world tour. The many cri- 
tics of Mr. Hickson’s work within the Church would 
do well to read, with an open mind, these letters 
of endorsement and appreciation, and when it is re- 
membered, that as a body, the Anglican bishops are 
the most conservative people in the world, it is all 
the more remarkable that Mr. Hickson’s work should 
in so many cases have received the endorsement and 
approval of the bishops whose dioceses he visited. 

There is no question in our minds but that the 
bishops can, by their courageous words and attitude, 
very greatly expedite this movement, and the Church 
will accept from them, in good faith, words of warn- 
ing and caution on the Ministry of Healing provided 
always the caution is not due to cowardice. 

We commend to our readers chapter XXVI of this 
book (page 212) containing the Pastoral Letter of 
the Australian bishops. This letter is signed by four 
archbishops and sixteen bishops of the Anglican 
Church in Australia. It speaks for itself, and is the 
most courageous and progressive document on the 


196 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


Ministry of Healing we have ever seen. This letter 
is the direct outcome of a series of public Healing 
Missions. In all sincerity we ask those who object to 
Healing Missions to give this document very careful 
consideration. | 
In another chapter of this book will be found 
several articles and addresses written by well- 
known Anglican bishops and expressing different 
angles of vision on this great subject. We especially 
commend to the student the article by the Arch- 
bishop of Melbourne on Spiritual Healing and Its 
Critics; also the valuable personal testimony of 
Bishop Linton of Persia, which came to us through 
the Questionnaire. Many other articles have ap- 
peared and are still appearing from Episcopal 
writers in the pages of The Nazarene magazine. 





THE VERDICT OF THE BISHOPS 


“WHO, BEING DEAD, YET SPEAKETH.” 


A Message from Bishop Tuttle, Presiding 
Bishop of the Episcopal Church in 
the U. S. A. (1903-1923) 


November 10, 1921. 
Rev. H. B. Wilson, Boonton, N. J. 

Rev. and Dear Brother: Thank you for 
yours of the 31st of October and for the leaf- 
lets of “The Nazarene.” 

Our Saviour died for the redemption of the 
bodies as well as for the salvation of the souls 
of men. 

In the human body He ascended and in it 
now is our Intercessor in Heaven. 

Can there be any doubt but that He ap- 
proves and sanctions all faithful and prayer- 
ful efforts made in His name for the healing 
and helping and saving of the bodies of men? 

God bless you in your good work and your 
prayers. 

Faithfully yours, 
(Signed) DANIEL S. TUTTLE, 
St. Louis, Missouri. 


197 





198 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


A Testimony From a MISSIONARY BISHOP 


Case No. 1. 


On June 27, 1923, my wife gave birth to a son. All 
went well for a time. Then symptoms appeared 
which gave cause for anxiety. Cancer (Chorion 
Epithelioma) was diagnosed, chiefly from the clini- 
cal history, and confirmed by examination and sec- 
tions. Operation was decided upon, and an explora- 
tory operation performed on July 29th. Five doc- 
tors were present at this, including three with a 
good deal of experience in operative work, and two 
in pathological work. On opening up it was found 
that the growth had spread with such rapidity that 
the great part of the pelvic cavity was affected, and 
it was decided that operation was impossible and 
would probably involve the death of the patient. 

I want to emphasize the fact here that five ex- 
perienced doctors looked in and saw, and gave it as 
their deliberate verdict that, humanly speaking, 
there was no hope. 

Then we felt that GOD was laying it on our hearts 
to claim healing by prayer. On August 11th the Per- 
sian Church had a Day of Fasting and Prayer at 
which complete healing was claimed in faith. 
Friends all over Persia, as well as in England, ete., 
joined in thus claiming healing on the promises of 
Holy Scripture. 

While we were in church praying, a message was 
sent to the leader of the service by my wife to say 
that her temperature was even then down to normal 
for the first time for several weeks. “Before they 
call I will answer, and while they are yet speaking 
I will hear.” My wife said she felt that even then 


THE VERDICT OF THE BISHOPS 199 


healing had already begun. She made rapid improve- 
ment, and was shortly back again at work in the 
hospital. I ought to mention that she is a surgeon, 
and M.B., B.S., of London, England. 

Today she is better in health than she has been 
for years, and is completely cured. Needless to say 
this striking cure of cancer has made a deep im- 
pression in the whole country. The doctors who at- 
tended her are convinced that it was only by the di- 
rect act of God that she was healed, and regard it 
as a signal miracle. 


CaszE No. 2. 


Another doctor, working in Shiraz, was suffering 
from such acute neuritis that she was unable to 
do her work. She and her fellow workers prayed for 
healing, but without marked result. 

So she felt GOD was leading her to come to Isfa- 
han for anointing and laying on of hands. She came, 
and at a service of the Holy Communion she re- 
ceived anointing and laying on of hands and was 
healed. She says that she still has occasional twinges 
of pain, but so slight as to be negligible. 

(Signed) J. H. Linton, 
Bishop of Persia. 
The Bishop’s House, 
Isfahan, Persia. 
December 31, 1923. 


THE ARCHBISHOP OF THE WEST INDIES REPORTS UNIQUE 
CASE OF HEALING IN ANTIGUA 


Among the many valuable replies to the question- 
naires sent out to all the Bishops of the Anglican 
Communion is an arresting and inspiring report 
contributed by the Archbishop of the West Indies. 


200 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


“A valued priest of the Church had to undergo a 
major operation; the doctors declared that his heart 
was very weak; immediately before the operation he 
received the Holy Communion and Holy Unction. 
The operation was successful as to removing the 
obstruction but seven hours after he had a collapse. 
Another followed, apparently hopeless. I was with 
him all night. At 3: 00 in the morning he said to the 
doctors: ‘Now is the time for a miracle to be per- 
formed. But why should a miracle be performed for 
me?’ - 

“T said, ‘Remember the life-giving power of the 
Holy Spirit’; and he answered, ‘Yes; the Lord and 
Giver of Life.’ The doctor to whom the patient’s re- 
mark was addressed held out not the least chance 
of recovery or of his living through the crisis... . 
He said that ‘If he gets better, it will be a miracle 
and you will be able to quote it as one of your in- 
stances of modern miracles.’ He has since said to me, 
‘It looks as if the miracle was coming off this time.’ 

“The patient has since said to me that he was con- 
scious, even at his worst moments, of being hedged 
about by spiritual forces, as the fruit of prayer, and 
was greatly strengthened by the Holy Communion 
and Holy Unction. It is true that the doctors did 
their part and manfully fought for his life, but both 
of them thought it hopeless. 

“T have no hesitation in saying that spiritual 
forces were liberated and that his life has been given 
back to us and the great work he is doing for God 
and His Church, through the direct action of the 
Life-Giving Power of the Holy Spirit, through the 
Sacraments, in answer to prayer. We need a great 
renewal of our faith.” 


THE VERDICT OF THE BISHOPS 201 


AIM: To ascertain what is the dominant attitude of 
the Anglican Episcopate on the subject of the 
Ministry of Healing. 


QUESTIONS: 


uF 


2. 


3. 


Why should Christian Healing find a natural place 
in the Anglican Communion? 

What good reasons exist for seeking nati by sanc- 
tion for this work? > 

Where do we find the Bishop's commission to heal 
the sick? 


. What would be your response to Questions 1, 2, 6, 


and 7 of the Questionnaire? 


. What seems to be the most Sweeping Episcopal en- 


dorsement given to this work in recent times? 


. What effect would the Australian Letter have upon 


an unprejudiced person in regard to the value of 
healing missions? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


“Heal the Sick,” J. M. Hickson. 

“What the Bishops Say’? (Nazarene Press.) 
Divine Healing, Pakenham-Walsh. 

Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapter 23. 


CHAPTER XXV 
SPIRITUAL HEALING AND ITS CRITICS 


Letter from the Archbishop of Melbourne 


(following a series of healing missions in the Province 


of Melbourne) 


Y DEAR PEOPLE: I desire to say a few 

words further on the subject of the Missions 
of Healing, which have just been concluded in this 
Province, and appear to have been marked every- 
where by the same features, a realization of the 
Presence of Christ, a definite revival of spiritual life, 
a substantial number of complete cures, a large pro- 
portion of well-marked improvements to be _ per- 
severed with in believing prayer, a wonderful pa- 
tience and refreshing in the spiritual lives of those 
who quite simply record no bodily change. There is 
a marked absence of fanaticism. There is no antag- 
onizing of the medical profession. There is a cer- 
tain wonderment as to “what we should do next.” 
My counsel here is, “Let it pass naturally into the 
ordinary, undisturbed faith and practice of Church 
life.” I think special Healing Mission Committees 
should be dissolved after investigation and Mission 
organization are wound up. The normal unit for the 


SPIRITUAL HEALING AND ITS CRITICS 203 


clergy is the Ruridecanal Conference. The Parish 
Prayer-Groups are the most important factor in the 
situation. Where these die down, the work will fail. 
Where these are alive, there this and all other work 
will succeed. 

The Geelong Mission preceded our own. I have 
had the results investigated and tabulated. The re- 
port shows forty-four cases personally certified by 
visits from clergy, nearly. five hundred cases of 
physical and spiritual improvement or cure reported 
by patients who have no interest in saying so if it is 
not true. It is curious that the journals and their 
anonymous correspondents go on demanding evi- 
dence, and appear to be unconscious that the last 
four numbers of The Messenger have all offered just 
what they profess to want. In some cases addresses 
were voluntarily furnished, but, of course, unless 
this is voluntarily done, we have a sacred trust to 
vindicate in respecting privacy. 

Do not make this a contentious matter. Investi- 
gate fearlessly and candidly. Move forward rever- 
ently and naturally; but do not make a battle-ery 
of it. Above all, guard against dividing the Church 
or the congregation into those who believe in the 
Spiritual Healing and those who do not. It is to 
unify and not to divide that we meet the common 
heritage of sickness with the common Christian 
weapon of prayer through Christ. 

I do not, as you know, indulge in newspaper con- 
troversy unless absolutely compelled, and then not 
in a controversial spirit; but it may help some of 
our members if I offer a few words of comment on a 
very thoughtful and not unfriendly leader in one of 
our dailies a fortnight ago. Anonymous articles, like 


204 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


anonymous writers, especially by our own members, 
I ignore and strongly deprecate. They enable anyone 
who may not otherwise count to fire from behind the 
hedge of anonymity without facing the consequences 
of what he says. But a newspaper takes full re- 
sponsibility for a leader, and places the matter in 
quite a different category of respect. And so here, 
with real esteem, I comment so that our folk may 
know their own minds and not be discouraged or 
confused. | 

This is a domestic matter for our own household. 
It was suggested then that if this work were genuine, 
it would be indiscriminate and would at once empty 
the hospitals. I submit that this totally misunder- 
stands Christianity, and, above all, Christ. Chris- 
tianity is universal, but it is not uniform in its ap- 
plication. It is not partial in its affection, but it is 
selective in its effect. It sifts us for various reasons 
which we may not like, or even understand, but must 
accept. Paul has a thorn in the flesh, though he 
raises Eutychus from the dead. Trophimus is left 
at Miletus sick, but the father of Publius is healed. 
Above all, as Professor Sir William Ramsay has 
pointed out, in Acts 28: 8-9, the father of Publius is 
healed by the laying on of hands and prayer, but the 
others also who had diseases “came and received 
medical treatment” by St. Luke. However, Mr. Hick- 
son did visit a number of hospitals where invited 
and where particular patients desired it. Christian 
healing is not magic, but a mode of treatment. And 
as a wireless transmitter sifts out receivers and only 
is understood by those tuned to its key, it follows 
that normally belief in God will be a condition of 
effectiveness, though not the only one. 


SPIRITUAL HEALING AND ITS CRITICS 205 


The second query of the leader was, “Why this. 
ritual?” The writer, it is safe to say, is not Anglican, 
and was probably not present in the Cathedral. The 
service was simple to the verge of childlikeness, and 
the critic who wishes to dispense with the laying-on 
of hands must question Christ who did it, and not us 
who follow Him. The music consisted of about five 
hymns which all the Christian world knows; we have 
yet to learn that this is either “spectacular” or 
“working up of atmosphere.” If healing is done here- 
after normally through prayer, as we hope it will be, 
it can be “casual” as the leader suggests. But in a 
Mission you must have some method, whether of 
grouping the patients or ordered worship. This 
criticism is surely trifling and making difficulties. 

Then comes another real difficulty. “The thou- 
sands come, the few are helped. The great mass are 
thrown back to a more bitter disappointment than 
they have known before.” To this I reply: Do the 
doctors refuse to try to heal any patient on the 
ground that they will be causing disappointment if 
the case fails? They would be rightly indignant at 
the suggestion. Surgery, and certainly medicine, are 
often experimental, but the successful cases justify 
the rest. And it is simply untrue to say few are 
helped. We find that practically atu are helped, even 
when not healed. And so far from bitterness being 
the result, the witness of friends and patients alike 
is that they are extraordinarily brightened and 
cheered. Why all are not cured we do not know. We 
say it reverently, but undauntedly. He knows, and 
we are simply His servants. 

Then, “Was it ever the intention that the Chris- 
tian Church should possess throughout the ages the 


206 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


gift of healing?” To this there are two answers. One 
is a simple passage in the coolest-headed and most 
practical of all the Epistles—that of St. James. The 
other is that it is scarcely necessary to ask the ques- 
tion, since practically no one really doubts that 
some have been healed. If that is so, then the Church 
is right in saying that Christ is still thus working. 
It surely is nonsense to say that the Gospel miracles 
“lose awe and reverence if they are the common pos- 
session of all ages.” Christ foretold it (St. John 14: 
12) and whatever view we take of the authorship of 
St. Mark 16:17, it is at least first-rate evidence of 
very early opinion on this point. 

Again, it is not wholly true that “The moment you 
identify religion with any material gain you destroy 
religion.” This is confusion of thought. If the motive 
of being religious is to be better off rather than to 
be better, of course, that is not religion. But Christ 
denied the name of disciple to any follower of His 
who did not care about the material welfare of the 
poor. He called it hypocrisy to shut your eyes to 
their troubles. This is, of course, the answer to the 
next objection: “If religion is pure, you must sacri- 
fice for it. Only those who are giving form the real 
heart of the Church. Going to religion for what a 
man can get out of it is the very weakness of all the 
Christian religion today.” Well, to begin with, all 
those objections might have been made to Christ and 
the Apostles, but they did not feed the poor, they 
did give material benefits, and the Church would 
never have been Christ’s witness if it had been care- 
less about relief as all the rest of the world was. Let 
the writer cast this charge up at Christ, for He 
started these methods. But, as a fact, if a Church is 


SPIRITUAL HEALING AND ITS CRITICS 207 


a sacrificing Church, somebody in the world must 
reap the sacrifice. If the Church is a giving Church, 
somebody in the world must do the receiving. You 
cannot bless if everybody is a blesser. This is drag- 
ging a false scent across the trail. 

Lastly, what “if every time a crowd filled a church 
they miraculously received a meal?’ One would 
think that there was to be a Mission of Healing 
every week. There is a vast difference between a Mis- 
sion and normal life and method. These will always 
be, but if this means that the world will think less 
of the Church for trying by all spiritual and other 
means to aid in relieving the sick, it is simply not 
true. But how easy it is to make a case. Suppose it 
were the other way round, and the leader had said, 
“What is to be thought of a Church bearing the name 
of Christ which disclaims any connection with heal- 
ing after prayer, in spite of the work of the Good 
Physician? What are we to think of a Church which 
holds that all His practices and methods are simply 
those of a remote past, though claiming that He still 
lives? What shall we say of a Church that evades 
plain scriptural commands, while professing to fol- 
low the Bible? What of its courage when it holds 
back from blessing those it can, lest it incur blame 
for failing in other cases? What shall we say of a 
Church that is so occupied with Heaven and the soul 
that it has no concern for earth and the starving or 
suffering body? To which side of the throne will the 
Judge send them? What of a Church which, receiv- 
ing a call from God, thinks the cost of obedience too 
great?” If the leader had said all this, then I should 
indeed have trembled for the Church. But those 
things are the exact description of what we should 


208 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


be, if we had followed that cautious mentor. We 
might have gained the world. We should have lost 
our soul. The world’s greatest reproach will not be 
for the cassocked clergy and white-robed nurses who 
toiled in carrying stretchers and tenderly helping the 
sufferers; it will be for the arm-chair critics who did 
nothing except mock the people who helped, or else 
sat thoughtfully back in their seats, pondered judi- 
cially as to whether this was absolutely secure 
against any criticism, and then decided not to go 
into the danger zone lest they should get hurt in 
helping someone, or, as the last line of the leader 
says, “purchase” the healing of these sick folk “at 
too great a cost.” 

And, after all, the cures of which people have 
written to us are less marvellous, though not so 
unobtrusive, as such spiritual transformations 
through Christian conversion, as Saul of Tarsus, 
John Newton of Olney, Francis Xavier, Augustine 
of Hippo, or the cases described in Broken Harthen- 
ware. People have almost ceased to expect the ab- 
normal where Christ is named. Answered prayer is 
a real phenomenon in the lives of many of us still. 
The alternative is this: Would you, if you could undo 
the whole Mission, as though it had never happened, 
give back their pains, their ulcers, their deafness, 
their lameness, to all those who are rejoicing today 
in strength given back? If the answer to that is 
“Yes,” then God pardon the man who makes it 
None of our parish clergy, or workers, or patients, 
nor many of our doctors, would for a moment con- 
sent. The gains have been too great. Let me con- 
clude by a quotation from the Times: 


“Rontgen’s discovery was one of the great crises in the © 








SPIRITUAL HEALING AND ITS CRITICS 209 


history of science. It marked the attainment of a new 
peak, from the summit of which the road already pain- 
fully traversed seemed flat and insignificant, and it re- 
vealed a new horizon resplendent with shining, but dan- 
gerous, mountains.” 


And I should be unworthy to be your leader if I 
refused, with the New Testament in my hands, to 
lead you on from the fiats, if you care to call them 
so, of the past, to the new horizon, with its shining 
mountains, just because, forsooth, they are danger- 
ous. Dangerous? So was Calvary. So is all Chris- 
tianity worth the name. It gives salvation, but it is 
never safe. Blood marks its trail; but the Church is 
never so alive as when she is bleeding, or so danger- 
ous as when she is being pooh-poohed for audacity 
in obedience. 

I do not intend to carry on these replies, but this 
had to be said for your sakes. 

Your affectionate Father-in-God, 


HARRINGTON C. MELBOURNE. 


210 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To answer the critics fairly and construc- 
tively, but without compromise. Also to secure 
an accurate perspective of healing evangelism. 


QUESTIONS: 


a 
2. 
3. 


What are some of the results of a healing mission? 

Which of these results is the most important? 

What is the Archbishop’s advice as to the follow-up 
work after a healing mission? 


. How do you answer the objection that if Spiritual 


Healing were genuine it would empty the hospitals? 


. How do you explain the fact that many who come to 


a mission do not seem to be benefited? 


. Is it really true to say that very few are helped? 
. Is the real objective of a healing mission just bodily 


healing or spiritual wholeness? 


. Is there good reason to believe that the gift of heal- 


ing is a permanent possession of the Church? 


. Do we detract from the prestige of our Lord in His 


earthly ministry by making Christian healing the 
common possession of all ages? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


“Heal the Sick,’ J. M. Hickson. 

The Ministry of Healing, A. J. Gordon, chapters 10 and 11. 
Are There Modern Miracles? M. P. Daggett. 

See also Bibliography for chapter 20. 


CHAPTER XXVI 
THE MINISTRY OF HEALING 


A Pastoral Letter to the People of the Church of England 


in Australia 


KE, the undersigned, bishops of the Church of 

England in Australia, who have had personal 
experience of the Christian Healing Mission in our 
own dioceses, desire to communicate to the whole 
body of the faithful our impressions of the results 
of that mission, and our recommendations with re- 
gard to the ministry of healing to which the mission 
seems clearly to point and lead. 

We desire in the first instance, to bear our thank- 
ful witness to facts within our own experience. Those 
facts are manifold. There are facts of physical heal- 
ing, complete or partial, immediate or incipient,— 
facts observed, unquestioned, which for our present 
purpose need no more precise definition. There are 
facts of spiritual healing. In a large number of cases, 
physical and spiritual benefits were so closely con- 
nected that they could not be separated but only dis- 
tinguished. Many sufferers, apparently uncured, in- 
stead of being “bitterly disappointed” and “alien- 
ated from a faith which had failed them,” as we were 
warned they would be, are conscious of a new life 


212 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


within them and a new outlook on all life. Their 
spirit has been healed of its fear and anxiety. 

These facts, considered together, are, in our judg- 
ment, quite incapable of explanation on any merely 
physical or mental basis. We are convinced that they 
point to spiritual forces at work—the response of a 
loving Father to the prayer of His children, the heal- 
ing power of a present Saviour, the renewing influ- 
ence of the Holy Spirit upon spirit, mind, and body. 

We desire to see increasingly closer coéperation 
between the spiritual ministry of the Church and the 
medical profession which is consciously or uncon- 
sciously doing part of the healing work of God. We 
acknowledge gratefully the debt of humanity to 
the skill and devotion of physicians and surgeons. 
We can quite understand that some medical men 
find difficulty in making room in their view of life 
for a religious movement which claims to produce 
both spiritual and physical results. But we think it 
quite fair to ask them, as men of science and obser- 
vers of phenomena, to endeavor to do justice to the 
facts of this movement as they stand, to enlarge their 
view of disease in order to embrace spiritual methods 
of healing, as it has already been enlarged to embrace 
mental and psychical alongside physical methods. We 
are ready to learn all that science can teach us about 
the processes at work in body and mind. We stand by 
the belief that it is Christ who is the power. at work 
upon mind and body in this movement; but we look 
forward hopefully to a closer codperation between 
scientific skill and spiritual faith in which priest and 
doctor and nurse will minister together in a three- 
fold ministry of healing service. 

We desire also to bear our thankful witness to 


THE MINISTRY OF HEALING 213 


the deep spiritual experience which was felt at the 
time, and which has proved to be an abiding result 
of these Healing Missions. We shall never forget the 
wonderful realization of the presence of our Lord 
moving amongst the sick, who were verily at home 
in their Father’s house, with His hands oustretched 
in blessing. We awoke to the living romance of the 
Gospel in action in our midst. “The blind and the 
lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed 
them.” Those reverent congregations of the suffering 
faithful were a veritable reconsecration of our 
churches. Our cathedrals have been happier places 
ever since. 

We have learned afresh old truths that had been 
forgotten. We have seen a new vision of the love of 
God for His children as the dominant fact in the 
life of the world. We have realized the power of the 
prayer of faith. We have learned to pray in silence. 
We have felt the happiness of intercession. The New 
Testament is full of new meaning; the Gospels and 
the Acts live again as the revelation of a healing 
power which we have seen at work in the Church of 
our own day. We have realized the bearing of the 
spiritual life on every part and province of life. 
At the same time we have learned the strength of 
that deeper faith of self-surrender, which subordi- 
nates the desire for health to the desire for holiness, 
and which seeks only to be blessed to the glory of 
God, leaving the manner of the blessing to the will 
of God. 

Finally, we have realized the unity of the spiritual 
life of the Body of Christ. The faithful laity rose to 
the height of their priesthood of intercession and 
service. Members and ministers of other Churches 


214 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


knelt to receive the healing benediction of the lay- 
ing-on of hands in Anglican cathedrals. They prayed 
for the mission in their own churches; they came 
and prayed with us. They lent a helping hand in 
the work of preparation and in the serving of the 
sick. We all felt the rich promise of the spiritual 
strength of a reunited Church, and the joy of tak- 
ing a great step towards the fulfilment of that prom- 
ise. In the healing work of the Body of Christ, we 
found a foretaste of healing for the Body itself. 
The Christian Healing Mission is passing now into 
the ministry of healing which it was the aim of the 
mission to revive. The mission broke through the 
crust of traditional Churchmanship and conven- 
tional Christianity, and opened the eyes of the 
Church at large, and in part of the world also, to 
something more of the Gospel and mind of Christ. 
Now the time has come for the more normal method 
of healing ministrations to individuals and to little 
groups in the ordinary course of parochial life. We 
believe that such healing benediction is part of 
the ministry of the Church of the living Christ, and 
that we are called to “make full proof of our minis- 
try.” There may be lay persons conscious, like Mr. 
Hickson, of a gift of healing influence, who may 
desire to have such a gift consecrated to spiritual 
purposes by the sanction of the Church. This ques- 
tion we leave to be faced in the light of growing 
experience. But we are convinced that it is a normal 
function of the ordained ministers of the Church 
to use the prayer of faith and the sign of blessing in 
their pastoral care for the sick. We have taken 
counsel together recently as bishops of the Church 
in Australia with regard to the main principles to 


THE MINISTRY OF HEALING 215 


be observed in the revival or rather the extension of 
this ministry of healing, which has already been the 
practice of some bishops and priests, and which we 
desire to encourage our brothers in the ministry to 
exercise more generally. Recognizing that the min- 
istry of healing requires not authorization but regu- 
lation, and that the responsibility for particular 
regulation rests with the individual bishop, we have 
recommended that forms of service be provided for 
the laying-on of hands, and also for the anointing 
of the sick with oil in the name of the Lord (in ac- 
cordance with the precept of St. James in the fifth 
chapter of his epistle, verses 4-16), where such 
anointing is requested by or on behalf of the sick, 
and that instructions be issued for the guidance of 
the clergy in their use of such ministrations. 

We desire at this stage to lay stress upon the need, 
not only of maintaining an attitude of devout expec- 
tation, but also of careful preparation for the sick 
and their friends and for the whole body of the 
faithful. The faith which is needed is not merely in- 
dividual but corporate faith, the faith of the home, 
of the ministry, of the whole Church. The Body must 
coéperate with its Head if its sick members are to 
be healed. The most marked groups of thanksgiving 
after the mission came from parishes where the wave 
of intercession had been highest and swept furthest. 

We urge the sick and their friends to ask for the 
prayers of the faithful and to pray for each other; 
to avail themselves of every opportunity of instruc- 
tion and training in a true penitence, and intelligent 
faith, a deeper devotion to our Lord; and to make 
reverent use of Holy Communion both as a prepara- 
tion for the blessing they are seeking for themselves 


216 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


and for others, and as a thanksgiving for blessings 
received. 

The faith and prayer of the sick and their friends 
depend largely for their perfect work upon the faith 
and prayer of the congregation. That wonderful at- 
mosphere which gathered round the healing mis- 
sion must be recovered and extended in every parish, 
if our Lord is to be enabled to do all that He is wait- 
ing to do for His people. We believe that the clergy 
will do their utmost to prepare their congregations 
to assist in the ministry of healing. Three things are 
needed, penitence, faith, and prayer. (1) Penitence 
means the desire to be healed of all that is sinful in 
heart and life, all disobedience to the will of God, 
all doubt of His love, all bitter and unloving 
thoughts of others. Only a penitent Church can ex- 
pect to be a channel of divine healing. Only a peni- 
tent soul can expect to be healed. (2) Faith includes 
a true view of sickness in the light of Christian 
teaching, and a right Christian practice in time of 
sickness. The problem of unhealed suffering remains 
a mystery of the will of God, but the dominant fact 
of life is that God is working for the redemption of 
soul and body. Sickness may serve the purpose of 
spiritual discipline and progress, but God’s primary 
purpose for His children is holiness and health. 
(8) True faith finds expression in prayer; it is not 
faith alone but the prayer of faith that is the human 
condition of divine healing. We urge our people to 
make frequent and earnest use of every opportunity 
of training in the ministry of intercession. Where 
the sick are remembered constantly by name at the 
ordinary services of the Church, where special ser- 
vices of intercession for the sick are held regularly, 


THE MINISTRY OF HEALING 217 


where the news of sickness in a home awakens, at 
once not only the sympathy but the prayers of all 
Christianly minded neighbors, there the sick find 
comfort in this proof of the communion of saints, 
and there our Lord Himself can “‘work with us and 
confirm the word” of healing “with signs following.” 

This parochial ministry of intercession calls for 
some simple method of organization to concentrate 
the prayers of the faithful upon the sick from time 
to time. We recommend for this purpose the forma- 
tion of healing prayer circles on some such lines 
as those suggested by Mr. Hickson. Prayer should 
begin at home, and we plead for the revival of family 
prayer,—the home prayer circle in which the sick 
member of the family or the sick neighbor is lifted 
daily into the healing presence of the Lord. Yet even 
if every home were a prayer circle, there is still 
room and need for weekly prayer circles in various 
parts of a town or centers of a parish, in which Chris- 
tian faith and hope and love may find expression in 
some simple form of intercession or in the prayer of 
silence, and in which the faithful laity, men and wo- 
men, may be trained and encouraged to lead the 
prayers of their neighbors. It is desirable that the 
prayers of the whole parish should be focussed by 
the frequent reunion of such prayer circles in a paro- 
chial service of intercession. Such a system of prayer 
circles would be an untold help both to the sick and 
to all who are engaged in ministering to them in soul 
or body. 

Thus far we have been dealing with the sick and 
the faithful. But our memories go back to a scene in 
the Acts of the Apostles which sets us thinking of 
the missionary bearing of the ministry of healing. 


218 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


The lame man healed at the Temple gate (Acts 3 
stood on his feet and began to walk, and then went 
with the apostles into the Temple, walking and 
leaping and praising God. Here is a picture of the 
healed life. It stands firm and steady; it goes for- 
ward on its way; it revels in its new-found strength; 
it enters into thankful communion with the Giver 
of all life and the Source of all healing. But there 
is also the impression made upon the crowd. All the 
people saw the healed cripple walking and praising 
God; they knew his past; and they were filled with 
wonder and amazement. The world today is waiting 
for a fresh revelation of the presence and power of 
God in the work of the Church and in the life of its 
members. It has already seen and felt once more 
the wonder of divine healing. There is here a clear 
call to the Church so to carry on the healing work 
which God has begun in our midst, that the thoughts 
of all who witness the work may be carried upward 
to the real Healer, Jesus Christ the Son of God, the 
Lord and Saviour of all life. 


JOHN CHARLES SyDNEY, Archbishop, N. S. W. 
HARRINGTON C. MELBOURNE, Archbishop, Victoria. 
GERALD BRISBANE, Archbishop of Queensland. 

C. O. L. PertH, Archbishop of Perth. 


CrecIL BUNBURY WENTWORTH ARMIDALE 
EH. A. RIVERINA M. H. BALLARAT 
GILBERT WILLOCHRA G. H. GIppsLAND 

A. NuTTER ADELAIDE R. 8S. TASMANIA 

G. M. BATHURST EDWARD KALGOORLIE 
JOHN NortTH QUEENSLAND DoNALD BENDIGO 

R. NEWCASTLE PuHiILtiep RoCKHAMPTON 
LEWIS GOULBURN JOHN WILLIAM GRAFTON 


Diocesan Bishops in the Australian Commonwealth. 


THE MINISTRY OF HEALING 219 


AIM: To ensure the adoption of adequate plans for 
following up a series of healing missions. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. What has been the general result of a healing mis- 
sion in any given parish? 

2. To what ideal of codperation may we look forward? 

3. How may a Healing Mission realize the unity of 
the spiritual life of the Body of Christ? 

4, How are the clergy called to make full proof of 
their ministry? 

5. How will the clergy get the best results (for their 
people) from a Healing Mission? 

6. Upon what does the faith and prayer of the sick 
largely depend? 

7. What are the three necessary requirements in pre- 
paring for a Healing Mission? 

8. Is faith alone sufficient for healing? 

9. What spiritual reality is the world eagerly waiting 
for today? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


“Heal the Sick,’ J. M. Hickson. 
“What the Bishops Say” (Nazarene Press.) 
Also see Bibliography for chapter 23. 


CHAPTER XXVII 


METAPHYysics AS AN AGENCY IN HEALING 


By the Rev. Elbert B. Holmes, B.A., 
Natick, Massachusetts 


STATE my conviction at the start that the hold- 

ing a place for healing in the life of the Church 
is essential to the integrity of its faith. I am simply 
unable to accept a kind of Christianity which de- 
mands belief in miracles happening thousands of 
years ago, whose actuality it is impossible either to 
prove or disprove, and at the same time bids us not 
look for any such phenomena in the present; or does 
at least appear to limit such phenomena to things 
like the miracle of the Eucharist which is likewise 
incapable of demonstration one way or the other. 
Healing was a definite witness to the truth of the 
Gospel in the early Church. We need such a witness 
terribly today. In the early days it was more than a 
witness, it was the beneficence of God. If it be true 
(and I can see no reason why it should be) that the 
healing of the early days was given for evidential 
purposes no longer needed, there at least exists no 
reason why we should expect the beneficence of God 
to be withdrawn. 


METAPHYSICS AS AN AGENCY IN HEALING 221 


FAITH IS FUNDAMENTAL 


The healing of the primitive Church depended 
upon faith as its principle. And faith cannot be con- 
fined to any one age. There is no reason why we 
should not have faith today, nor why (having faith) 
the same results should not follow. It is true that 
the Incarnation was a thing unparalleled. If it could 
be shown that Jesus worked by personal fiat as 
unique Son of God, and that no one else performed 
miracles of healing, then there would be some ground 
for their limitation to His day. But if Jesus Christ 
Himself worked in accordance with universal prin- 
ciple, then (finding the principle) we may (as He 
said) do the works also. 


THE PRINCIPLE OF JESUS 


The metaphysical movements of the modern day 
represent an attempt to discover and use the princi- 
ple upon which Jesus Christ worked. I think that I 
am justified in saying that they take up a work ordi- 
narily not attempted in the Church on any large 
scale and with any popular appeal—the teaching of 
the technique of faith. We have too generally taken 
the possession or non-possession of faith as a for- 
tuitous circumstance. The metaphysicians will take 
anybody who wants to have faith and will accept 
their discipline and create faith and healing power 
in him. 

All of the doctrines of the metaphysicians, which 
sound so peculiarly in our ears, are intended to serve 
as the scaffolding upon which faith may stand. Or, to 
put it in a different way, they are intended to fur- 
nish one with a view of the universe with which faith 
is compatible. They assume that faith is automati- 


Oma THE HEALING EVANGEL 


cally directed towards whatever a man believes to 
be real. If a man believes that God is real and that 
cancer is real, he has a divided faith, and the faith 
that he has in God is negatived by the faith that he 
has in cancer. Therefore, metaphysics must be called 
in to solve the problem. If we cannot, on the physical 
plane, have a faith in God which is not negatived by 
the contrary faith we have in something else, then 
we must somehow learn to get behind the outward 
appearances of things and think upon a plane where 
the cancer (or other form of evil) does not, as a mat- 
ter of fact, exist. 


THE REAL WORLD OF SPIRIT 


Now, if (to say nothing of Mrs. Eddy and the 
metaphysicians) I say with an eminent English 
physicist, that the resolving of matter ever further 
and further back into its basic elements leads to the 
conclusion that the spiritual world is the only real 
world, then I am justified in saying that as a plain 
matter of fact there is no evil. For I can view in the 
spiritual world nothing but constructive purpose; in 
my wildest imagination I cannot conceive anything 
destructive in it. It builds, but it does not destroy. 
Its constructive principle is summed up in the affir- 
mation of scripture that God is Love. 

It would be madness, however, if anyone were to 
insist that as a practical matter evil did not exist in 
the world. It is a gross misunderstanding of the 
metaphysicions to assume that they deny and ignore 
the practical aspect of things. But they insist that 
evil shall never be recognized in such fashion as to 
make a claim on faith. Faith must be reserved for 
God only, and to them the most practical way of 


METAPHYSICS AS AN AGENCY IN HEALING 223 


dealing with evil is to look away from it and see God 
only. There are two pictures of Daniel in the lion’s 
den. One represents the more ordinary way of look- 
ing at evil—where Daniel stands facing the lions 
and overcoming them by his personal power. In the 
other picture Daniel is not thinking of the lions at 
all, but stands with his back towards them and fac- 
ing the light. These two pictures illustrate a com- 
monplace in metaphysical practice in the healing of 
disease. If, they teach, you face the disease and rely 
in any way on your own power to heal it, you will 
fail. If, however, you look away from the disease, 
realizing that in the real it does not exist, and look 
steadfastly to God, then the healing is accomplished. 


THE WORK OF THE HEALER 


The neophyte in metaphysical healing will often 
fail because it is hard to get away from the feeling 
that it is his treatment that is to do the work. The 
experienced healer is able to put the self entirely 
aside. Did not Jesus say, “Of Mine own self I can do 
nothing”? Metaphysical practice is built around 
such sayings as this. And another saying, much 
dwelt upon, is this: “Whatsoever things ye ask for, 
believe that ye have them and ye shall receive them.” 
In the perfect kingdom all good things, health, wis- 
dom, prosperity, or any other good, are already pres- 
ent. The work of a healer is to be the instrument 
through whom these good things that already exist 
may become manifested on the physical plan. 

But we are straying a bit from the line we had 
chosen. My sole object in this paper is to stress the 
need of faith, or rather of a method for acquiring 
faith. And I have said that the metaphysicians aim 


- 


224 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


to do things through the presentation of a view of 
the universe which is compatible with a faith di- 
rected solely towards God. I have written briefly 
of their proposition—now reinforced by physical 
science—that the spiritual world is the only real 
world. But we cannot round out our view of the uni- 
verse compatibly with faith without some satisfac- 
tory account of the origin of evil within what, on 
previous understanding, we may be ready to call the 
realm of appearances. For granted that, metaphysi- 
cally considered, evil does not and cannot exist, it 
is nevertheless a very practical matter in our mun- 
dane experience. Whence came it? Can the meta- 
physical system give any satisfactory answer? Well, 
they go back to the Fall of Man just as we do (or 
perhaps used to do before evolution became a part 
of the household of faith) and illuminate that doc- 
trine so much that we may even want to make it 
again the basis of much teaching. The emphasis, 
however, is shifted away from the particular trans- 
gression that we had had in mind to that more gen- 
eral and all-comprehending sin of separateness from 
God. The point is made to consist in the statement of 
the Tempter, “Ye shall be as gods.” The sin consists 
in the separated self. This separated self is a pro- 
nounced feature in metaphysical teaching. It has 
been overcome entirely only by Jesus Christ, who 
could say, “I and My Father are one.” And the power 
to do the works of the Father was His in perfection 
because of that oneness. It is ours in proportion as 
we are able to approximate to that oneness. And on 
the contrary side, sin, weakness, limitation, come to 
us as a result of our separateness. This is the expla- 
nation of the fact of evil. It does not make it real 


METAPHYSICS AS AN AGENCY IN HEALING 225 


(i.e., eternal and unchangeable) but rather a shadow 
that will vanish whenever we turn to our true selves 
as we are in God. In Jesus Christ we are ransomed 
from the Fall, not only for some future state but 
here and now. 

THE INNER SECRET 


This teaching presents the most searching truth 
that I know. We may be morally upright, even saints. 
But can we give our individual initiative back to 
God? Can we truly say that in all things it is His 
will and not ours that counts? There is a glory that 
comes from the power to heal, a sense of some praise, 
some gratitude that is due to ws. Can we arrive at 
the place where Jesus was, when no glory, no praise, 
was ever due to Him, but all glory belonged to the 
Father? The metaphysicians whom I know tell me 
that it is their constant care to keep down pride in 
themselves, that if they took to themselves at all the 
gratitude that people are so eager to show them 
there would be an end to their healing power. Yes, 
separateness is the great sin, and it alone has 
brought all the shadow into the world. And yet, it 
is shadow—light is the only positive, the only sub- 
stance, the only real. Thus have the metaphysicians 
offered us a view of the universe that is compatible 
with faith. 





HEALING ONLY ONE FUNCTION OF FAITH 


It will be apparent from what has been said above 
that the true practice of metaphysical healing is not 
divorced from the spirituality which must be the 
chief aim of the Church. Nay it demands it, requires 
it absolutely, for its efficient exercise. And I believe 
that it is to the disadvantage of the Society of the 


226 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


Nazarene that it seems to stand for the cultivation 
of a particular aspect of the Christian religion—the 
healing side.* This can be but temporary and arising 
from necessity. In time to come I hope to see the So- 
ciety of the nature of a religious order, with a mis- 
sion to teach not so much the Faith as just “faith.” 
I hold no brief for the doctrines of the metaphysi- 
cians except as they may commend themselves as 
true and useful in the building up of faith. But I do 
emphasize, what I believe to be the fact, that just 
as the metaphysicians have concentrated on the in- 
culeation of a view of the universe which is com- 
patible with faith (and that is the only way that 
faith can exist) so we should likewise, and in our 
way, concentrate on the same high endeavor. For if 
in the Episcopal Church we may all learn how to 
have faith, we shall not only heal, but we shall then 
have no difficulty about spirituality, or the Faith, 
or Missions, or Church Unity, or any of the other 
questions that have been so largely forced upon us 
by the incompatibility of the kind of universe that 
we believe in with the spiritual truths that we try 
to believe in. Our difficulty is in trying to ride two 
horses at the same time. 

At all events, whether we want to accept what the 
metaphysicians offer us or not, we are sadly in need 
of training in faith. And since faith depends simply 
upon our view of the universe, we have got to adopt, 
and train ourselves to accept, a view of the universe 
that is conformable to faith. Faith can never be the 
acceptance of a particular matter which in our gen- 





*The Society does not make a cult of healing. It merely strives 
to restore healing to its proper place as a function of the Church. 
—A. J. G. B. 


METAPHYSICS AS AN AGENCY IN HEALING 227 


eral apprehension of the universe we have reason to 
think is not true—that isn’t faith, it is just fooling 
ourselves. I suggest that we might go a long way 
in faith by just believing what our own catechism 
tells us about the sacraments. If it is true that I am 
by baptism a member of Christ, the child of God, and 
an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven, and that we 
all are just that, then why not believe it and make 
something of it? For something like it is just what 
the metaphysician would tell you if you were sick 
and came for treatment! This is literal fact, that the 
very first thing they would try to make you believe 
about yourself is something out of your own Prayer 
Book! And then we are taught that we receive Christ 
in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and the meta- 
physician would strive (as a means for our healing) 
to make us realize that the Christ is indeed within 
us, to heal us, to give us wisdom, to give us all good! 
In short, when we consider the sacramental system, 
it would appear that we are very much metaphysi- 
cians ourselves, and if we ever get to believing the 
catechism and trying to discover what kind of a uni- 
verse this that we live in must be, since all this is 
true, then we can build, I think, on the basis of it, 
a groundwork for faith. 


THE SACRAMENTAL PRINCIPLE 


This, I admit, is an unscholarly procedure. Every- 
body knows that the sacramental system is and has 
been under attack. If I now call upon Churchmen to 
accept it blindly, in all its presuppositions and all 
its implications, I am asking it because they are 
Churchmen and without entering into their reasons 
for being so. I am going to assume, then, that there 


228 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


is such a thing in the universe as an outward and 
visible sign of an inward and spiritual substance 
because the Church teaches me that this is so. That 
this is, in particular cases, a veritable fact, all 
Churchmen will admit. But I am seeking a view of 
the universe that fits in with these particular facts. 
And I think that I find it in the conception that the 
universe itself is one great sacrament of the eternal 
Spirit. It is the outward and visible sign of eternal 
and spiritual substance. And the spiritual substance 
is the only reality. We may agree, with Dr. J. S. 
Haldane, quoted by Dr. L. P. Jacks in his Living 
Universe, that the spiritual world is the only real 
world. It is significant to notice that such a conclu- 
sion is arrived at by three widely different methods 
of approach. There is, first, the method of metaphysi- 
cal philosophy; second, the method of physical 
science; and third, the implication of the sacramen- 
tal system of the Church. These three seem to con- 
verge in the one conclusion that matter is but an 
outward and visible sign of a reality that lies be- 
hind and is Spirit. 

If this be so, it follows that the mind of man in 
concentrating on outward appearances, living in un- 
awareness of the Spirit that these do but signify, is 
otf the track. We can err as to the universe and suffer 
for it just as the Corinthian Christians erred and 
suffered who ate “not discerning the Lord’s Body.” 
If it is true that the universe is a sacrament, we are 
justified in thinking that the evils which man suffers 
are due to his using it ignorantly, not discerning the 
inward substance. I think that Dr. Jacks says some- 
thing like that in the Living Universe which I men- 
tioned above. 


METAPHYSICS AS AN AGENCY IN HEALING 229 


Few would be found to question the statement 
that the spiritual world is the only real world if but 
a reasonable place might be given to the “outward 
sign.” What our own philosophy might be, seems to 
me to be involved in our doctrine of the Holy Com- 
munion. As to that Sacrament, we are far from de- 
nying the ordinary nutritive qualities of the bread 
and wine while yet we assert that the reality of the 
Sacrament is a spiritual substance—the Body and 
Blood of Christ. The bread and wine no more disap- 
pear when we assert that in reality they are that 
spiritual substance, than the universe of matter dis- 
appears when we say that the spiritual world is the 
only real world. In other words, there is no sense 
illusion in the appearance of the sacrament to be 
other than it is that is any different from the sense 
illusion which makes the universe of matter appear 
to be other than it is. The judgment of the senses re- 
mains as it is, but the obligation to perceive a reality 
that is beyond the senses is the very essence of the 
Catholic religion. 

Now, the outward and visible sign is the universe 
of matter, together with all the laws concerning it 
which the intelligence of man is able to discover. It 
is, relative to us, overwhelming in its immensity. Yet 
its relation to the Infinite, whose sign it is, is as zero 
to one. For if the basis of matter be Spirit, then mat- 
ter exists only in absolute dependence. What, then, 
is the practical issue? It is, I believe, that we may 
make full use of the laws that govern the physical 
world, but can never allow them to become barriers 
in our thought against the power of God. If God is 
first, then we must learn to place Him first in our 
practical thinking. The aim of the metaphysical sys- 


230 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


tems has been to reverse the age-long thought of man. 
Man has ever looked out upon the universe of mat- 
ter, matter which we know to be dependent, and re- 
garded it as supreme. Particularly in a scientific age 
he has been prone to deny the possibility of the ac- 
tion of any powers not seen to be inherent in matter. 
To reverse this thought, to put God in His proper 
place, requires deliberate attention to a philosophy 
of the universe, and this the metaphysicians have 
worked into a system which works remarkably well 
for the object it has in view. A genuine Christian 
Scientist, whatever his errors, does put God first. 
No one will claim that this is not a legitimate object 
for the Church to pursue. We, too, must learn to put 
God first. But before that can come to pass on any- 
thing like the degree already attained among the 
Christian Scientists, our philosophy must become 
something more than merely implicit in our formu- 
laries. It must be dragged forth into the light of day, 
made a propaganda, and presented with all the zeal 
of a new discovery. 


METAPHYSICS AS AN AGENCY IN HEALING 231 


AIM: To discover how far the orthodox Christian 
needs the metaphysical emphasis in order to 
form a coherent working theory of Christian 


Healing. 
QUESTIONS: 

1. Do you believe that healing is an essential part of the 
life of the Church? 

2. What do the metaphysical movements of the present 
day represent? 

8. How can we arouse faith for healing in any given 
patient ? 

4. What does the metaphysical healer assume? 

5. What do you mean by REALITY? Can you believe in 
the reality of God and the reality of disease at the 
some time? 

6. What conclusion follows from the Scriptural state- 
ments about God? 

7. May we accept the facts of sin and disease without 
endangering faith? 

8. Illustrate this attitude towards evil by the two pic- 
tures of Daniel in the lions’ den. 

9. What advantage does the experienced healer pos- 
sess over the beginner? 

10. What was the sin which caused the “fall” of man? 

11. How was it overcome by Jesus? 

12. In what respect is the metaphysical view compatible 
with faith? 

18. What must always be the chief aim of the Church? 

14. How will this become possible? 

15. Can faith ever mean the acceptance of that which we 
question intellectually? 

16. In what sense is the universe itself sacramental? 

17. What three methods of approach show the spiritual 
world to be the only real world? 

18. What is the very essence of the Catholic Religion? 


Note: The student of the foregoing chapter is recom- 
mended to read carefully the later chapter by the same 
writer (“The Goal of the Healing Movement’) before at- 
tempting to answer all the above questions. See Chapter 
XXXI. 


232 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Spiritual Healing, Harold Anson, chapter 11. 

The Real Key to Christian Science, R. L. Swain. 

The Truth and Error of Christian Science, M. C. Sturge. 
Christian Science, Dean Lefroy. 

Christian Healing, Charles Fillmore. 

The Religio-Medical Masquerade, Peabody. 

Faith and Works of Christian Science, Anon. 

Christian Science in the Light of 'Holy Scripture, I. M. Haldeman. 
Science and Health, Mary Baker Hddy. 

Primary Lessons in Healing, A. R. Militz. 


CHAPTER XXVIII 


THE ARCHBISHOP OF YORK ON SPIRITUAL 
HEALING AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 


HE following report is taken from the Morning 
Post (London), July 23, 1924, and tells of an 
address delivered by the Archbishop of York at Brad- 
ford before the British Medical Association. The 
Archbishop’s message is indeed a sign of the times 
and we print it here because it is significant of the 
better understanding which is developing between 
the two professions and not because we agree with 
everything which His Grace uttered in this interest- 
ing discourse. 
APPEAL FOR INVESTIGATION 

A remarkable challenge to the medical profession was 
given this afternoon by the Archbishop of York, in the 
course of the official sermon delivered before the British 
Medical Association. | 

“T venture to think,” he said, ‘that your Council should 
inaugurate an inquiry into the relations between the mind, 
body and spirit. I know of no considerable sustained 
scientific inquiry into this subject, which is one that should 
be inquired into. What I plead for now is not respect for 
religion on the one hand and science on the other, but that 
science should discover the place of the spirit in the heal- 
ing and uplifting of the body.” 

The service, which was fully choral, was held in Brad- 
ford Cathedral, and the delegates, in robes of searlet and 


234 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


other colors, completely filled the center of the building. 
As the procession of the choir and clergy entered, one felt 
insensibly that continuity of tradition, which, apart from 
brief periods of violent antagonism, has united religion and 
the healing art from long before the period of the famous 
Hippocratean Oath. 


THe ARCHBISHOP’S SERMON 


The Archbishop of York, who took as his text, “From the 
Most High cometh healing,” (Ecclesiasticus 38) said there 
were two great channels of healing, the prayer of faith and 
discipline and the skill of the physician, and each had its 
own place. These channels were not separate, for, after 
prayer and discipline, there might still be need of the physi- 
sian. He thought they were coming to a time when, through 
both these channels, they would be ready to reach suffer- 
ing mankind in an abundance seldom, if ever, known in 
man’s long struggle against disease and accidents of the 
body. 

There was no need to speak of the marvels of science 
which had resulted in an immense liberation of man from 
pain, disease, and death. Search for unknown causes was 
unwearied and constant, and it could be hoped that before 
long there would be few undisclosed causes of disease. In 
our own time surgery had accomplished results which would 
have been previously regarded as miraculous. God in His 
compassion had been mighty through His servants in heal- 
ing, and He regarded men such as Pasteur and Lister as 
servants of His whether they always acknowledge Him or 
not. 


FAITH HEALING 


There might soon be a great revival of healing through 
faith made active by self-discipline and prayer. We could 
look back to the Prophet of Galilee, who had laid hands on 
everyone and healed them. Through simple acts of faith He 
poured out such strength that it strengthened those around 
so that disease was conquered. Ever since then, through 
the power of great personality, of the association of hal- 
lowed places and of holy rites, men’s minds had been so 
stirred as to feel themselves set free from disease. They 
had been lifted above their diseases. 


ARCHBISHOP OF YORK ON SPIRITUAL HEALING 235 


In the last few months the United States and the Bri- 
tish Dominions had seen remarkable results of the potency 
of the Spirit. Whatever the explanation might be, facts 
could not be denied. No prejudiced mind could refer to 
what was occurring and to what would occur on such a 
scale and over such a wide field without recognizing it as 
one of the great powers for removing disease. In this way, 
as through medicine and surgery, the Lord was revealing 
His power to heal. 


DANGERS OF JEALOUSY 


There was one great manifestation moving along the 
plane of the body and another moving along the plane of 
the spirit. It would be disastrous if these were kept apart 
through jealousy and mistrust of each other, and if the 
streams from this same source should flow in separate 
channels. It might be disastrous if those who believed in 
the spirit regarded medicine and surgery aS moving on a 
lower plane. It would be cruel to deny to many sufferers 
treatment that might be the only means of saving life, for 
the gifts of science were the gifts of God. There was a 
peril that with certain persons the operations of the Spirit 
might degenerate into magic in those mysterious regions 
where the mind and body met. Such persons were as much 
in need of guidance as others. Would it not also be closing 
the door to the possibilities of life if the physician and 
surgeon ignored the chances of healing through the spirit? 

There were many signs that in these, as in other regions, 
science and religion were converging. We had come to a 
time when it was recognized that it was not through mat- 
ter, but through the spirit, that nature was to be inter- 
preted. In every way the spiritual was breaking through 
into the material. Bodily sickness and pain were the cor- 
ruption of God’s will. That they existed at all was one of 
the mysteries, but if they were removed there would still 
remain the mysteries of the sorrows of mankind. 


NEED FOR INQUIRY 


Might it not be admitted by science as fully as by re- 
ligion that in the spirit, raised to the high level of strength 
believed to be communion with God, there were resources 


236 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


for their recovery of health? Were we not on the threshold 
of the interpretation of mind, body, and spirit? Might not 
Spiritual healing have a place in a deeper and wider sci- 
entific scheme? 

In all humility he ventured to suggest that the Council 
of the Association should inaugurate an inquiry into the 
relations between mind, body, and spirit. He knew of no 
considerable sustained scientific inquiry into the subject, 
which was one that should be inquired into. Prayer and 
Similar phenomena should be investigated with open- 
mindedness and freedom from prejudice. 

It would, he believed, be found that the spirit, quickened 
by faith and strengthened by discipline, had the powers of 
healing coming from God as the physician came from Him. 
What he pleaded for now was not respect from religion on 
the one hand and science on the other, but that science 
should discover the place of the spirit in the healing and 
uplifting of the body. He knew that there was truth be- 
hind this view. 

He concluded with a heartfelt expression of gratitude to 
God for the healing gift as manifested in those before him. 


ARCHBISHOP OF YORK ON SPIRITUAL HEALING 237 


AIM: To study the implications of the Archbishop’s 
appeal and to draw the necessary inferences— 
(a) for the Church and 
(b) for the Medical Profession. 


QUESTIONS: r 


1. What is the nature of the appeal made by the Arch- 
bishop? 

. What are the two great channels of Healing? 

. Are the prayer of faith and the skill of the physi- 
cian mutually compatible? 

4, What danger arises from thinking of these two chan- 
nels as totally distinct and separate? 

5. How is nature being interpreted today and how does 

this interpretation affect the subject of this chapter? 


CO to 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Spiritual Director and Physican, Fr. V. Raymond. 

Training and Rewards of a Physican, R. C. Cabot, M.D. 
What Men Live By, R. C. Cabot, M.D. 

Religion and Medicine, Worcester, McComb and Coriat. 

The Psychology of Faith and Fear, W. S. Sadler, M.D. 

The Meaning of Christian Healing, G. F. Weld. 

Healing, M. R, Newbolt, chapter 4. 

The Christian Doctrine of Health, Lily Dougall, chapter 11. 
Washington Conference Reports (Nazarene Press), page 37. 
Handbook of Divine Healing, Butlin, chapter 18. 


CHAPTER XXIX 


ExORCISM 


(“On Drivinc Out DEvILs’’) 


By W. H. Jefferys, M.A., M.D., 
Superintendent Philadelphia Protestant Episcopal 
City Mission 


ARGELY because of the difficulty of the field, 
the most neglected aspect of the pastoral work 
of the Christian Church is one in which our Lord 
seems to have taken a very special interest, and one 
in which He held out the assurance that His disci- 
ples should also succeed. We are referring to Chris- 
tian ministry among the insane. In all Jesus’ own 
work He assigns Himself the pastoral function, the 
Shepherd of the sheep; in His relationship to the 
insane He is very distinctly, also, the Good Physi- 
cian, which more than suggests that when the clergy 
get the scientific point of view and the doctors the 
mystical point of view and the two develop some 
common sense in service to the insane, results may 
be expected quite out of all proportion to our pres- 
ent feeble and divided faith. 
“Drive out demons!”—St. Matthew 10:8. 


EXORCISM 239 


“With a word He expelled the demons.”—St. Mat- 
thew 8:17. 

“By making use of My Name they shall expel the 
demons.”—St. Mark 16:18 (New Testament in Mod- 
ern Speech—Weymouth). 

The terminology of the New Testament is subject 
to the age in which it was compiled, and those who 
have lived in China during its later thoroughly un- 
scientific years can readily appreciate that the in- 
terpretation of the New Testament must always be 
subject to a realizing sense of the limitations of 
language and thought, and, in the case of Christ’s 
work, there must be added to this limitation the 
extreme difficulty of interpreting to a thoroughly 
unscientific age the most subtle physical, psychologi- 
cal, and spiritual problems and processes. For him- 
self, and as a scientific man, the writer has no 
hesitation whatever in saying that the events in 
the gospels, including what we have heretofore 
termed miraculous, all happened; but we are quite 
free to confess that their manner of explanation and 
exposition by those who witnessed them are such as 
they would not have themselves made had the same 
events taken place today. In other words, we do not 
believe that Jesus ever broke a law of God or at- 
tempted to do so; we think His whole mental atti- 
tude contra-indicates any such theory. The Son is 
subject to the Father; the Father is greater than 
He. In the temptations in the wilderness He abso- 
lutely refuses to say that black is white, either 
morally or physically; and as a corollary of the 
above we do not think that there is any need for 
believing that Jesus ever did anything which would 
establish an age of unreason or magic; but having 


240 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


said that much we are free to confess that we think 
it will take the scientific mind a long time yet to 
thresh out, by analysis, what Jesus knew by intui- 
tion. We have our Lord’s own promise that the works 
that He does we shall do, and greater works, and 
we sincerely believe it. The writer thinks we are 
just beginning to get a sort of glimpse through the 
fog into the field in which Jesus clearly worked His 
works, and the glimpse is the bare outline that we 
have of the distinctive functions of the objective and 
subjective minds, and the beauty of the instrument 
which the former is, and the extraordinary reser- 
voir of power which the latter certainly is; and 
that we shall go a long way further when we have 
pushed our investigations in this whole field and 
come to realize that what the Bible calls the soul is 
what we know as the subjective mind, and that 
Jesus has the most complete control of this extraor- 
dinary reservoir of power of any human being the 
world has ever known. In Him it functions perfectly. 

To any one who is interested in the above sugges- 
tion, we would strongly advise a careful reading and 
re-reading of Dr. Foote’s The Source of Power.* 

The subjective mind is the reservoir of complete 
memory. It is also the instrument of immediate 
awareness. The objective mind is the analytic in- 
strument which the subjective mind uses and by 
which it is related to the material world, at present 
through a physical organization known to us as the 
nervous system. 

In the process of creation, or evolution if you pre- 
fer the term, or, better yet, of evolutionary creation, 
the objective mind is the instrument to which the 


*See Bibliography, page 271. 


EXORCISM 241 


soul commits problems for analysis and judgment, 
but it reserves to itself the storing of the conclu- 
sions. No one remembers with his objective mind; 
he may, by an analytic process, recollect something ; 
but memory is a function of the soul. It is in that 
soul reservoir of memory and _ self-consciousness 
(perhaps the spirit is the life-center of conscious- 
ness) that is built up the personality of the indi- 
vidual. The objective mind plays a very necessary 
part in this evolutionary process by its work done 
for the evolving personality, but it is not the per- 
sonality. 

Speaking very simply, an insane person is one 
who, through functional or organic disease (science 
has not very clearly differentiated these as yet), is 
deprived of the proper working of the objective 
mind; that is, its relationship to the possible ob- 
jects of its judgment is disordered. It cannot get its 
material for judgment and is not able to handle 
what it does get. The result is that the soul is im- 
prisoned. There is not, necessarily, anything what- 
ever the matter with the soul; the soul is intact; it 
is, however, subject to the suggestion of disordered 
mentality, and while it is unable to commit satis- 
factorily its intuitions to an instrument incapable 
of sanely analyzing them, it is always subject to 
sane and direct suggestions from wherever they may 
arise. 

There is a close analogy between the soul in the 
hypnotic state and the soul of the insane, except 
that in the hypnotic state the objective mind is dor- 
mant, while in the insane the function of the ob- 
jective mind is partial and that partial function is 
disordered. We can suggest to a hypnotic subject 


242 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


that she is Queen Victoria; her subjective mind ac- 
cepts the suggestion temporarily until her objective 
mind is restored to working order and discards it. 
In the case of the insane, such a suggestion once 
made by the disordered mind becomes what we call 
a fixed idea or an hallucination and the suggestion 
of being Queen Victoria remains and is very difficult 
to dislodge. Without being dogmatic on the subject, 
we are inclined to think that this condition is that 
which was known to the early times as demon pos- 
Session and is so known today in China. 

The term “demon possession” is a perfectly nat- 
ural one and has a basis of truth in it. It is quite 
true that the possession is not by a demon person- 
ality, but the subject is possessed by suggestions to 
consciousness not in conformity with the rational 
universe, with the truth, or with reality. He is pos- 
sessed by an untruth, and that can only be driven 
out by a stronger and more powerful suggestion, or, 
better, by its substitution by an overwhelming intui- 
tion which is in conformity with the truth of the 
rational universe. This is actually what happened, 
so we believe, in the case of the demoniac (maniac) 
of Gadara. The frightening of the swine is only a 
coincident fact of which the import was misunder- 
stood by those who interpreted the events and a 
very natural mistake. 

Direct intuition, immediate awareness, is a func- 
tion of the subjective mind. The channel for these 
intuitions by which they pass from one personality 
to another is the subjective mind, and the mystics 
all know that our direct relationship to God is 
through this channel; our indirect relationship to 
Him, that in which we perceive Him in nature, is 


EXORCISM 243 


largely through the objective mind and is circum- 
stantial evidence of God’s Being. It was, perhaps, 
in the field of the use of His subjective mind that 
Jesus performed the miracle of the curing of the 
Gadarene, though as a most reasonable Person, in 
making a verbal suggestion in terms which anyone 
and especially the Gadarene would understand, 
Jesus uses every available channel for reénforcing 
the positive, overwhelming suggestion which cured 
the man and established in his consciousness the 
truth. 

These instances might be multiplied. The cures 
which have been undoubtedly accomplished in similar 
fields by using various methods of suggestion by 
all sorts and kinds of people and which are very 
much in evidence today are along this general line; 
but there is more to it than this last sentence would 
indicate, and the function of the future ministry to 
the insane will take careful account of these facts, 
but especially of the possibility of side-tracking the 
objective mind completely and suggesting directly 
to the soul the source of truth. This can be done 
by suggestion, putting the subjective mind of the 
insane into direct relationship with God; this thing 
can be done now and can be done much more per- 
fectly as we study the problems involved. It is 
utterly useless, and so understood by our more 
thorough and experienced chaplains to the insane, 
to argue with insane persons for the existence of 
God; but it is very easy to suggest His existence so 
positively and overwhelmingly as to start the im- 
prisoned soul on its quest for the source of all truth 
and the peace that passeth understanding. 

The Rey. W. Fred Allen, City Mission Chaplain to 


244 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


the Department of Mental Diseases of the Philadel- 
phia General Hospital, located at Byberry, writes 
out of a most intelligently consecrated experience 
as follows: 


“Beneath the irrationality, confusion of mind, and dis- 
torted ideas, the spirit of the man is intact and suffering 
only from alienation from God, whether wilful or other- 
wise, and can be reached, ministered to, and healed without 
the ordering of the mind itself, and the mind itself is 
vastly helped by the reactions of the spirit and in many 
eases entirely cured. What an inducement to sacramental 
ministrations ! 

Sacramentally united to God, the All, the great Reality, 
the Life of the Universe, a real spiritual life, devout and 
developing exists beneath the phobias and anguish and con- 
fusion of the mental life, like the calm depths of the real 
ocean beneath the restless and tossing surface. When bodily 
death releases the spirit person from the environment that 
should be, but is not, the instrument of communication with 
the sense world, it will be a soul “‘purified, made white and 
tried,” to enter upon the further discipline and growth of 
Paradise, a real purgatory. Surely this is worth while. 

“So the method is only for some and very few didactic; 
with most it is dogmatic, definite, insistent, and through the 
agency of the subconscious truth reaches the spirit. Direct 
intellectual instruction cannot be received, but there is 
love, deep penitence, trust, longing for God.” 


“Spiritual qualities survive when mental are dead. We 
reach the spirit through the subconscious when the mind 
is partly intact; through the spirit direct, by the sacra- 
ments, when there is no mentality, only love and desire. 

“Tt is manifest that the health of the spirit means al- 
ways help, and sometimes entire cure for the mind.’”—‘‘Do 
the Insane React to Religion?’—The City Missionary, Vol. 
7, No. 2. 


The power of suggestion which lies not alone with 
the doctor, but chiefly with the chaplain, is almost 
beyond belief. The more we know about psychology 


EXORCISM 245 


the more we realize the possibilities of suggestion. 
That healing of physical ill is, at times, actually ac- 
complished by the action of the soul of Christ is as 
well proved today as that quinine will cure tertian 
malaria if administerated properly. We saw Mr. 
Hickson fail to cure a good many cases, that is we 
did not see them cured; but we did see some cures,— 
one in particular which, as a medical man, the 
writer would have proclaimed absolutely incurable 
from the point of view of scientific medicine. His 
physicians had so proclaimed it. We saw that boy 
cured in three days. Mr. Hickson’s methods are well 
known. 

A chaplain on the staff of the New York City Mis- 
sion showed us a similar case of long standing pa- 
ralysis in which a woman’s power to walk was com- 
pletely restored after about six months’ treatment 
by the chaplain. The technique of the treatment was 
the conversion of the patient’s spirit from the power 
house of hate to a power house of love. The whole 
thing depended upon the nervous irritation produced 
by an unforgiving soul; the peace which produced 
the cure was the “peace that passeth understand- 
ing.” 

We cannot close this subject without pointing out 
the fact that the Church has woefully neglected the 
possibilities of our ministry to the insane; that it 
is probably in this field, a field which is almost be- 
yond the reach of medical assistance, that the cura- 
tive power of religion could be at its very best and 
most manifest efficiency. We have even found it dif- 
ficult to trace any adequate literature on the sub- 
ject; but the experience of City Mission chaplains 
in our insane asylums has called my attention to 


246 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


the tremendous possibilities of the issue. It should 
be said without hesitation that it is not every man 
who can enter into this ministry, but only very spe- 
cial persons with particular qualifications, among 
which we should include a strong mystical sense, 
the greatest patience and kindliness and faith, and 
a good knowledge of psychology. To understand 
this one should read that wonderful autobiography 
of a homicidal maniac, called The Guest, an account 
written by herself of a woman’s experience and 
memories through twelve years of maniacal insan- 
ity, three of which were spent in the deepest melan- 
cholia, during which time she never spoke one word, 
and how she was lifted out of that depth of hell by 
the spiritual ministry of a physician and restored 
to her family in perfect health and with a clear 
memory of all that she had been through, and how, 
never during any of that time, was she unconscious 
of all that was going on around her or failed to hear 
every word that was said to her, though she made no 
manner of response. 

As a Christian physician the writer has in re- 
membrance one such experience worth more to him 
than almost any single gift of life; an elderly 
woman, who was rapidly losing her mind, and was 
possessed of a fixed idea that another woman had 
so greatly wronged her as to produce an all-con- 
suming hate of her. There had been no attempt upon 
the woman’s life, but we rather think it was only a 
question as to whether there happened to be oppor- 
tunity or not. It was our privilege to spend an hour 
and a half quietly suggesting to this distracted mind 
that there was one possible cure and only one, and 
that was for her to forgive and turn her heart to 


EXORCISM 247 


love instead of hate. We made no effort whatever to 
prove whether a wrong had been done or not; the 
suggestion of love was left to work its own way. 
No report of this patient came to us for four years, 
and then quite unexpectedly we received a note 
from which the following is quoted: 


“T went to you in confusion and distress of mind; I 
could not forgive an injury as I hoped to be forgiven. You 
told me that there was only one word that could solve that 
problem—love. That was an unknown solution to me then, 
but it let a ray of light into my mind, and the light has 
grown Slowly ever since. I can thank God now for His love 
in leading me and His patience in giving me time. Very 
deeply I want to thank you before I go; not that I am an 
invalid, but at seventy-three one faces the end of things 
in this world at any time.” 


248 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To understand our Lord’s teaching and prac- 
tice in the matter of Exorcism. Also to interpret 
the Church’s ministry to the insane in the light 
of modern knowledge in the field of psycho- 
pathology. 


QUESTIONS: 


1. What does our Lord’s attitude towards the insane 
suggest in the matter of codperation between the 
clergy and the physicians? 

2. In working miracles of healing or exorcism, did Jesus 
ever break the laws of nature? 

3. Of what is the subconscious mind the reservoir? 

4. What does the writer mean by the objective (con- 
scious) mind? 

5. How is the subjective (or subconscious) mind re- 
lated to the material world? 

6. Where is the personality of the individual built up? 

7. What is the chief difficulty involved in the mind of an 
insane person? 

8. How does the phenomenon of hypnosis help us to 
understand the problem of insanity? 

9. What do you understand by the term “demon posses- 
sion”? 

10. How can “possession” be remedied ? 

11. Through what faculty or power are we directly re- 
lated to God? 

12. How may we give spiritual healing to the insane? 

13. Is it possible to make a successful spiritual appeal 
to the insane? 

14. What special qualities are needed in work with the 
insane? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapter 14. 
The Miracles of Our Lord, George MacDonald, chapter 7. 
The Source of Power, T. C. Foote. 
Our Psychic Powers, H. B. Wilson, chapter 4. 
The Healing Christ, Wigram, chapter 5. 
Concerning Prayer, B. H, Streeter, chapter 13. 


CHAPTER XXX 
SPIRITUAL HEALING 
By the Bishop of Aberdeen 


(Notes of an Address given just before the opening of a 
Healing Mission in Aberdeen, Scotland) 


HEN the Lambeth Conference met two years 

ago, the Bishops of the Anglican Communion 
Oe aps tay came to the conclusion, and indeed no 
other conclusion was possible, that Christian Science 
had developed doctrines which were in direct con- 
flict with the Christian faith; doctrines which de- 
nied the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atone- 
ment, and the reality of physical disease and spiri- 
tual sin. None of us then can become Christian 
Scientists without denying the faith and becoming 
apostates. ..... Along with this condemnation of 
Christian Science went the admission that the 
heresy was due to the neglect to enforce certain as- 
pects of the Christian faith, and the penitent ac- 
knowledgment of a grave deficiency in the faith 
and teachings of the Church. Even the most perni- 
cious heresies are due to the neglect of the Church 
in teaching truth. 


250 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


In the second place, the Conference asserted that 
to the Spirit of the Incarnate Christ were due all 
the devoted and self-sacrificing labors in scientific 
research, and in the application of the results of 
that research in medicine, surgery, nursing, hygiene, 
and sanitation. It declared that all these means of 
healing and preventing disease and alleviating suf- 
fering were gifts that came from God and should be 
used faithfully for the welfare of mankind. 

I believe that with these conclusions we are all 
agreed. It is in absolute conformity with these con- 
clusions that the Mission of Spiritual Healing will 
be conducted. But the Lambeth Conference went 
further than these very obvious conclusions. It called 
on the clergy to study more thoroughly the many- 
sided enterprise of prayer, so that the corporate 
faith of the Church might be renewed, and the power 
of Christ to heal might be released. 

It called for a committee to report on the use of 
prayer with the laying-on of hands, unction of the 
sick, and other spiritual means of healing. 

It urged the recognition of the ministry and gifts 
of healing in the Church, and that these should be 
exercised under due license and authority. It urged 
precisely an aspect of our religion, too often lost 
sight of and ignored, which the forthcoming Mission 
of Spiritual Healing is forcing upon our notice. So 
much for the Lambeth Conference. 

Hitherto I have spoken of the mind of the Church. 
Let me take you now to Holy Scripture, the Holy 
Scripture at its highest in the example and the teach- 
ing of Jesus Christ. 

We believe, and our belief is based firmly on Holy 
Scripture, that God became very Man in the In- 


SPIRITUAL HEALING 251 


carnation, in order that He might be the Saviour 
of our entire nature—body, soul, and spirit. 

Holy Scripture always and everywhere reveals 
Him as the Saviour of the body as well as the 
Saviour of the soul. ; 

Who of us does not remember our Lord’s utter- 
ance in the synagogue at Nazareth, in which He 
makes the prophecy of Isaiah the summary of His 
mission, and His message to the world: “The Spirit 
of the Lord is upon Me; He hath sent me to heal the 
broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives 
and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty 
them that are bruised”; or that famous reply to the 
disciples of John the Baptist, in which He makes 
His works of healing the proof that He is the Christ: 
“Go and tell John what things ye have heard and 
seen. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, 
the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear.” 

Who of us does not remember that His whole 
ministry was a perpetual warfare against sin and 
disease, which He regarded as due to the activity 
of evil and rebellious spiritual forces, and contrary 
to the will of God? 

St. Peter’s summary of His mission reflects what 
He thought about disease: “He healed all those who 
were oppressed of the devil.” Indeed, our Lord Him- 
self uses precisely the same language of disease. He 
does not say that the woman whom He healed was 
visited with God’s hand; on the contrary, He as- 
serts that she was bound of Satan. 

And in this record of the ministry, so full of heal- 
ing, that an ever-recurring refrain runs through it 
all: “He healed all that were sick,” “He healed them 
all,” “He laid His hands on every one of them, and 


Do 
~~ S 


252 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


healed them,” “He healed them that had need of 
healing”—in this ministry of healing, it is plain if 
we read the Gospels that He was helped or hindered 
by men’s faith or unbelief. We read, indeed, of Christ 
visiting a certain place with the desire to heal, and 
with persons in sore need of healing, but He could 
do no mighty work there because of their unbelief. 

That is a most important point which cannot be 
emphasized too much. Without faith, the energizing 
power of Christ is hindered in its work. 

In the next place, we may learn from Holy Scrip- 


, ture that Christ founded His Church to perpetuate 
) His mission, His work, His Spirit in the world, and 
‘that to the Church He promised His abiding pres- 


ence: “Lo, I am with you all the days, even to the 
world’s end.” He took it for granted that His fol- 
lowers would carry on His work: 


“As ye go, preach and heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, 
raise the dead, cast out devils. 

“Into whatsoever city ye enter . . . Heal the sick that are 
therein. 

“Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every 
creature. And these signs shall follow them that believe. 
They shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.” 


We know from the Acts of the Apostles that these 
signs were wrought. We know from the glad confi- 
dence of the Epistle of St. James that these signs 
were expected: “Is any sick among you? Let him 
call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray 
over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the 
Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick.” 

We know from the Epistles of St. Paul that spe- 
cial gifts of healing were given to special men in 
the communities among whom he worked: “Have 


SPIRITUAL HEALING 253 


all the gifts of healing?” “To one is given the gifts 
of healing by the same spirit.” 

And we know to our shame and sorrow that this 
side of Christ’s religion has become so buried, so 
forgotten, so ignored in our own time, that usually 
the clergy are only called in as undertaker’s assis- 
tants to minister the last rites, when all hope of 
recovery is clean gone, and already the coffin is 
being thought about for the corpse. 

Can we explain it? I think we can. It is not that 
God’s will has changed. It is because we have re- 
stricted and tied up spiritual powers by our hard- 
ness of heart and unbelief. 

If I were to choose one little sentence of three 
words to sum up the Church worship of the first 
age, I should choose the words: 


“JESUS IS HERE’ 


It is that sense of the living presence, the living 
power of Jesus, energizing, active in their very 
midst, which gave all its glamour, its mystery, its 
awe and joy, to the religion of the primitive Church. 

If I were to choose a sentence to sum up the 
Church worship of our days, I should choose the 
sentence: 

“JHSUS IS NOT HERE” 

Why, people even object to the phrase “The Real 
Presence” in the Holy Eucharist! 

It is the real absence that they want. Christ is 
for them a clause in a creed, a name in a printed 
book, a dreamland figure in some imaginary heaven, 
a dead Syrian prophet, whose teachings are worth 
studying, like the teachings of Socrates or Confu- 
clus. 


NS 


254 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


But not a living, present Christ. 

Sunk in a practical unbelief more deadly than 
atheism, having a practical belief only in what they 
can touch and see and apprehend by sense percep- 
tion, with their souls crabbed, cabined, and confined 
by the adamantine walls of a hard materialism, long 
after materialism as a system of philosophy has be- 
come as much exploded as the Ptolemaic system of 
astronomy, they still repeat the Creed of Christen- 
dom and respect Christ’s moral teachings, and call 
themselves members of Christ’s Church, while they 
ignore the hidden forces, the spiritual realities, which 
are the essence of the Christian faith. 

Ah, we Christians! With our cold, dull, stodgy 
) Churchmanship, without fire, without enthusiasm, 
A without inspiration, without romance, without sacri- 
p, fice, without the gay assurance of a living faith! 

We are always a problem to the unbeliever, who 
says to us: “If you believe what you profess to be- 
lieve, why are you not different from what we are?” 

We need arousing from our dull stolidity. We need 
some action which will testify to a belief that God 
is the one great reality, and that spiritual forces are 
more real than anything which we can touch and 
see. 

With all my heart and mind I support this Mis- 
sion of Spiritual Healing, because I am profoundly 
convinced of the crying need for a testimony against 
the sordid materialism of our time. 

I do not know the Missioner. 

But I know that throughout the world he has been 
God’s minister of health for body and spirit to many 
thousands, working with the blessing, the approval, 
the gratitude of the bishops of our Anglican Com- 


SPIRITUAL HEALING 255 


munion throughout the world, working in fullest 
harmony with the great medical profession, work- 
ing in fullest loyalty to the Catholic faith. Humbly, 
and with a simple faith, I look forward to his min- 
istry for mine own self. 

And I pray God his work may be blessed among 
our people in the city. 


256 


THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To justify a modern healing mission on scrip- 
tural and sacramental grounds. 


QUESTIONS: 


aa 


ee) 


What should be the logical inference which the 
Church may draw from the wide spread of Chris- 
tian Science? 


. What was accomplished by the Lambeth Conference 


at its last meeting (referred to in this chapter) ? 


. How does the doctrine of the Incarnation affect the 


problem of Christian Healing? 


. What is the chief function of the Church? 
. Why do people object to the doctrine of the Real 


Presence? 


. What is the Bishop’s final argument in favor of the 


Mission ? 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


“Heal the Sick,’ James Moore Hickson. 
See also Bibliography for chapters 23, 24, 25, and 26. 


CHAPTER XXXI 


THE GOAL OF THE HEALING MOVEMENT 
IN THE CHURCH 


By the Rev. Elbert B. Holmes, B.A., 
Rector of St. Paul’s Church, Natick, Massachusetts 


HE healing movement in the Church cannot yet 

be said to have found itself. A few general prin- 
ciples are clear, and on these principles it bases its 
challenge to the Church. But there remains the much 
larger factor, the results that will come from critic- 
ism and synthesis. Much that may be said and done 
by the supporters of the movement may prove mis- 
taken, and in the long run the synthesis of opinions 
that honestly differ within the Church will effect a 
basis for a more effective program. 


FACTS ARE FACTS 


That, under the present conditions, a healing 
movement within the Church should be looked upon 
with suspicion is quite natural. We can hardly es- 
cape the fact that the main stream of the healing 
movement as it exists in the United States is ob- 
noxious to Church people. The healing movement 
began outside the Church with the advent of Chris- 
tian Science, and under that banner it has attained 


258 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


to its mightiest position and influence. The very men- 
tion of spiritual healing in any of our parishes calls 
up the name “Christian Science,” and very often the 
feeling of repugnance persists even after the differ- 
ent character of our healing work in the Church 
has been fully explained. And there is an actual 
handicap in our not being able to say things that 
are true because Mrs. Eddy has said them first. If, 
for example, I have been reading Dr. L. P. Jacks’ 
little book, A Living Universe, and venture to quote 
as he does Mr. J. S. Haldane that “the spiritual 
world is the only real world,” then I shall have to 
explain things to an indignant congregation. If I 
read in Professor McDougal’s Outline of Psychology 
that there are obviously no such things as emotions, 
sensations, ideas, or concepts, and then venture to 
say that a headache is not real, I shall have again 
to explain that I am not a Christian Scientist. If I, 
following the mystics, recommend the “Silence” as 
a valuable method for acquiring mental poise, then, 
again, I learn that Mrs. Eddy has taught that in 
Christian Science! So it goes. 


A REBUKE 


Then, too, the healing movement in the Church 
came to be because some of us were stung by the 
exposure of our inconsistencies with the Gospel 
through the world-wide sweep of this same Christian 
Science. The cover of Science and Health blazons 
a text from our Gospels which we have not known 
what to do with. People who belonged to us have 
left the Church for Christian Science and never 
cease proclaiming that the promises of the Gospel 
had been demonstrated to them as veritable truth. 


GOAL OF HEALING MOVEMENT IN CHURCH 259 


One reads this in The Physiology of Faith and Fear, 
by William S. Sadler, M.D.: 

“Tt is certainly a sad commentary on the orthodox teach- 
ings of most Christians, who claim to follow the teachings 
of Jesus, to contrast the downcast and discouraged attitude 
of most Church members with the good cheer and happiness 
which the average Christian Scientist enjoys, in spite of 
the confused teachings of their system. It is certainly 
greatly to the credit of the Christian Scientists that they 
have got what health and happiness they have out of the 
truth at their disposal, and their success certainly constitutes 
a stunning rebuke to the modern teachers and exponents of 
Christianity.” 


The sting of such criticisms as this is sufficient 
to account for the rise of a healing movement in the 
Church. That it is, as yet, no match for the meta- 
physical movements that it was intended to combat 
is obvious. Some may say that this is because it 
has not enough of daring; that it pays too much heed 
to current suspicions and prejudices in the Church, 
such as were observed in a preceding paragraph. 
For myself I prefer to take the ground that the 
winning of the confidence and codperation of the 
whole Church is a prime essential, and that once this 
is accomplished we shall be taking a mighty step 
towards the conversion of the whole nation to Jests 
Christ. Such, you will bear in mind, is the goal. 


PERSONAL AND CORPORATE FAITH 


I will mention some of the principles which (as 
I said at the beginning) seem clear. They are the 
things which we think the whole Church will ulti- 
mately agree with us about. In the first place, the 
p-omises of Christ in the Gospels are not to remain 
ignored. There may be a reason why the promise 


260 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


“The works that I do shall ye do also” is not being 
fulfilled. We propose to begin to find out the reason 
now and not drop the matter for another sixteen 
centuries. Quite obviously it depends upon faith— 
“according to your faith be it unto you.” And again 
it seems to depend upon the general atmosphere of 
belief or non-belief, as when even Jesus could do no 
mighty works at Nazareth because of their unbelief. 
Thus there are two problems: (1) the problem of 
how to gain personal faith, and (2) the problem of 
how to produce corporate faith. The Churchman re- 
cently commented on the lack of results at a heal- 
ing mission held in St. Paul’s Chapel, New York. Is 
it not quite possible that the unbelief in New York 
is as great as it was in Nazareth? We must never 
lose sight of our Gospels. They explain the failures 
just as they explain the successes. And above all 
they emphasize the necessity of faith. THar is our 
problem. We stand for faith, both personal and cor- 
porate. Let the Church decide whether this belongs 
in the Gospel or not. 


THE WILL OF GOD IN HEALING 


Then, in the second place,..we-stand-for-the..will, 


_of God, We do not desire the healing of any person 
sick by the will of God. We strongly suspect that 
a person ill by divine decree will not recover either 
by medical or spiritual aid until God Himself re- 
moves the decree. But we do say this, that if a per- 
son believes that his sickness is sent of God, for 
his good, that he ought not to seek to be relieved from 
it by medical any more than by spiritual aid. And 
we assume that because, as a matter of fact, all 
Church people do seek to have their ills relieved, 





GOAL OF HEALING MOVEMENT IN CHURCH 261 


therefore they agree with us that sickness is not 
the will of God, that God does not send sickness. 
Still, if any one is still disposed to disagree, and 
finds his conduct in seeking healing in medicine 
fully consistent with his belief that God sent the 
disease, I shall not dispute with him. He can still 
join us in the quest for faith. For there must be some- 
thing that faith is meant to accomplish, else why 
all this talk about faith in the Gospels? And as- 
suredly, from those same Gospels, if he have not 
faith, that something will not be done. We expect, 
then, that the Church will agree with us that there 
is a royal way for Christians, a way of accomplish- 
ment of God’s will through faith in Him. And specu- 
late as one will about particular applications of 
that will, we sorely need faith in order that what 
He does will may be effectively done. 


THE SACRAMENTAL SYSTEM 


In the third place we stand for the.sacramental 
| system ‘of the” Church anda ‘Sacramental conception 
of the universe. This is the philosophy that takes the 
place of the ‘metaphysical system of Christian Sci- 
ence. It takes the universe not as a dead thing to be 
exploited but as instinct with God, transfusing with 
His Spirit every particle of matter. As for our bodies 
they are the temples of the Holy Ghost and the 
Christ dwells in them. This is the significance of 
the sacraments of Baptism (with its complement of 
Confirmation) and Holy Communion. A due atten- 
tion to this philosophy will transform the life and 
utterly banish the downcast and discouraged atti- 
tude which Dr. Sadler (quoted above) felt to be 
the prevailing state among orthodox Christians. 


| 


262 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


There is no need for the metaphysical doctrines of 
Christian Science, for we may (if we listen) learn 
from the teachings of the Church that spirit and not 
matter is the dominant element. Just as in the sac- 
rament of Holy Communion the Body and Blood of 
Christ must be held to be the dominant element, re- 
ducing to entire subordination that which we con- 
ceive as bread and wine, so in our thought does 
Spirit become dominant in a sacramental universe; 
and so do the sacraments bear witness to some more 
complete and perfect domination of Spirit in our 
bodies. The success of Christian Science lies in its 
ability to secure among its adherents the more or 
less complete assimilation of its philosophy. If the 
Church can do as well (not by producing as good a 
philosophy, for it has a better already) but in in- 
ducing its members to spend the time to think out | 
and meditate upon its teaching, there is no reason 
why the attitude of Church people towards life 
should not be vastly improved. I suspect that the 
“faith” which is the subject of our striving will be 
found to consist very largely in a due apprehension 
of sacramental truth. 


THE PLACE OF THE PHYSICIAN 


In the fourth place we gladly recognize the place 
of the physician. This is not for the reason that 
the power of God needs supplementing by material 


_ aid, but for the deeper reason that all wisdom of 


| whatsoever sort and on whatsoever plane is of God. 
The ministry of the physician is sacramental in its 
nature; it is the outward and visible sign of Mind. 
It fits in well with the sacramental view of things— 
not at all with the metaphysical view of Christian 








GOAL OF HEALING MOVEMENT IN CHURCH 263 


Science. Thus the fact that the healing movement 
in the Church does not disparage the physician in- 
dicates a difference in principle. The Christian Sci- 
entist says that matter does not exist, and though 
that may be literally true (cf. the statement of Hal- 
dane quoted above), it leaves us entirely at sea as 
to what we are to do with very solid looking ap- 
pearances and very obstinately working physical 
laws. It has no place for such an operation as the 
stamping out of yellow fever in the Canal Zone, for 
the operations that save life, for the anti-toxins that 
stop the ravages of bacteria. It is true that God is 
not limited to such means. It is true also that God 
is not limited when medicine stops short, as in the 
cure of cancer. But in the sacramental view of 


is i God and belongs to » God. 


A WORD OF CAUTION 


There is due, however, a word of caution. The 
Church may use the medical profession, but it ought 
hot, I believe, to be dominated, by. the medical pro- 
fession. For there is no kind of guarantee that the 
medical profession may not become predominantly 
materialistic. If it be true that the ministry of medi- 
cine is sacramental, then we can no more tolerate a 
godless physician than we can tolerate a godless 
priest at the Altar. Medicine goes its own way. The 
Church merely submits. From time to time we are 
adjured to coéperate with the medical profession ; 
there is no voice raised demanding that the medical 
profession coéperate with us. We are almost pain- 
fully reminded that the Church is the under-dog, 
that its teachings have no scientific validity or stand- 


264 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


ing. We are to take the medical man’s word for it 
that there is no cure for certain organic diseases, and 
the word of Christ is to count for nothing. Now there 
is due a fair warning that if the healing movement 
prevails in the Church there is to be no countenanc- 
ing of that sort of thing. We will gladly accept any 
physician who acknowledges the same Lord that we 
do. But equally, I think, with the Christian Scientist, 
we see the need of combating any materialism in the 
medical profession. And I think that in view of 
alarming prophecies now being made as to the fu- 
ture disposition of the medical profession, the 
Church as a whole should be profoundly concerned. 


A VISION OF THE FINAL GOAL 


And now I am ready to present my vision of the _ 
goal ofthe healing movement, the object toward — 
which all.the efforts now being made in the Church” 
are tending.. There is a great deal of truth in what 
we so often hear, that the healing works of the. 
Gospel were given for evidential purposes. They _ 


were signs of the Son of God. I can hardly admit the 
contention that the healing works were withdrawn 
when their evidential purpose had been accom- 
plished, for the reason that there never was a time 
when such evidence was not needed. The Church to- 
day is the Body of Christ, and there never was a 
greater need for proof of it. That nothing at all is 
proved by ancient records however venerated is a 
patent fact today, and I believe that the proof of 
the Gospel is always a present fact, or may be. Now 
I expect some day to see, as a result of the healing 
movement, a Church hospital in every diocese—at 
least one. It will not be simply a hospital erected by 


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GOAL OF HEALING MOVEMENT IN CHURCH 265 


the Church and supported financially, but one which 
will be organized in every detail on Christian prin- 
ciples. The physicians and surgeons will be men of 
faith and prayer and absolute belief in Jesus Christ. 
The nursing will be given over to a sisterhood, of 
an Order that makes a life work of spiritual heal- 
ing. A staff of clergy, men of deep spirituality and 
prayer, will conduct the whole. In all that hospi- 
tals the word “incurable” will never be heard. An 
atmosphere of faith will be always there. And out 
from those hospitals, I expect, will issue forth the 
power that will convert the nation to Jesus Christ. 


266 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


AIM: To indicate the lines along which the Min- 
istry of Healing may be correlated with the com- 
plete sacramental life and teachings of the 
Church. Also to state the terms upon which ef- 
fective co-operation may be secured between the 
Church and the Medical Profession. 


QUESTIONS: 


1.What are some of the grounds of suspicion which 

exist toward the healing movement? 

. Is Dr. Sadler’s criticism justified by the facts? 

. What two problems must be solved in order to make 

Christ’s promises effective? 

4. If a person believes his sickness to be sent by God, 
should he seek relief by medical aid? 

5. What is the fundamental distinction between the 
philosophy of the Church and that of Christian 
Science? 

6. Distinguish between the sacramental and the meta- 
physical views of the universe. 

7. On what does the success of Christian Sciences de- 
pend? 

8. In what way is the ministry of the physician sacra- 
mental? 

9. Should the Church be dominated by the medical pro- 
fession? 

10, Is there still an evidential value in Christian Healing? 

11. What should be the ultimate goal of the healing move- 
ment? 


wb 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 
Spiritual Healing, Harold Anson. 
“Heal the Sick,’ J. M. Hickson, chapters 10 and 12. 
God’s Will for the World, H. B. Wilson, Part 1. chapter 5; Part 
II, chapter 4. 


* 
| 
I 





NOTE 


THE SACRAMENT OF UNCTION 


INCE completing this book a friend has pointed 

out that no chapter in this book is devoted to 
the important subject of the Anointing of the Sick. 
In reply the author feels that so much has already 
been written on this subject, that it is not necessary 
for him to add anything. 

The Anointing of the Sick depends for its efficacy 
upon faith and prayer. This is made very clear in 
the fifth chapter of the Epistle of St. James. It is 
to be regretted that many Catholic clergy still feel 
that there is a great virtue in the use of oil regard- 
less of the circumstances under which the oil is ap- 
plied. They still fall back upon the well known argu- 
ment that the validity of a sacrament is not destroyed 
by the unworthiness of the priest. It would be easy to 
engage in controversy on this matter. It will be 
much better, however, to study carefully and prayer- 
fully the scriptural warrant for this sacrament, and 
when this has been done, we shall see how essential 
is the atmosphere of prayer and faith if the Holy 
Oil is to accomplish its sacred and healing function. 
Among the many excellent books on this subject, the 
best, in my judgment, is the little book entitled 
Divine Healing, by Bishop Pakenham-Walsh, for- 


268 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


merly Bishop of Assam. The chief merit of this book 
to me is that the Bishop used Holy Unction with 
conspicuous success himself before writing this little 
book, and therefore is entitled to more consideration 
than those who write upon purely theological or 
technical grounds. The Society of the Nazarene sup- 
plies several alternatives for the Anointing of the 
Sick, all of whch have considerable Episcopal en- 
dorsement. 

The Guild of St. Raphael in England have also 
published an excellent little Vade Mecum for the 
clergy who practise Spiritual Healing. It is called 
The Healing of the Sick, and is published by Mow- 
bray in London and the Morehouse Publishing Com- 
pany of Milwaukee. It includes simple forms for 
Anointing, the Laying on of Hands, the Anointing 
of the Sick, and Sacramental Confession. A list of 
books on Anointing is appended for the benefit of 
those who desire further information on this sub- 


ject: 

The Anointing of The Sick, F. W. Puller, 8.S.J.E., 
S.P.C.K. 

Divine Healing, Bishop Pakenham-Walsh, S.P.C.K., 
50e. 

Service of Anointing, Bishop Pakenham-Walsh, 
S.P.C.K., 15e. 

Service of Anointing and Laying-on of Hands, Mow- 
bray, 15c. 

The Anointing of The Sick, Canon N. Keymer, Mow- 
bray, 50c. 

Body and Soul, Dearmer, chapters 22, 23, and Ap- 
pendix. 


Health and Religion, Claude O’Flaherty, M.B., 
Ch.B., $2.00; chapters 5, 6 and 12. 


THE SACRAMENT OF UNCTION 269 


Is Any Sick Among You? P. Gavan Duffy, 7T5c. 

The Healing of The Sick, By the Guild of St. 
Raphael, Mowbray, 50c. 

Revival of The Gift of Healing, see chapter 5, H. B. 
Wilson, Morehouse, cloth 90c., paper 50c. 

Healing, M. R. Newbolt, S.P.C.K., 80c., see chapter 3. 

Handbook of Divine Healing, J. T. Butlin, Marshall 
Bros., London, see chapter 14. 


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GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Body and Soul, Percy Dearmer, D.D., E. P. Dutton, N. Y., $2.50. 

Health and Religion, Claude O’Flaherty, M.B., Ch.B., Doran, $2.00. 

The Christian Doctrine of Health, Lily Dougall, Macmillan, $1.75. 

The ‘Healing Christ, E. F. E. Wigram, Nisbet, London, $1.40. 

The Mount of Vision, Bishop Brent, Longmans, N. Y. $1.20. 

“Come Unto Me,’ Ethel E. Tulloch, Nazarene Press, 25 cts. 

The Sacrament of Healing, John Maillard, Morgan & Scott, London, 
$1.00. 

The Divine Antidote, F. N. Riale, Ph.D., Christian Work, N. Y. 
$2.50. 

The Power That Worketh In Us, Basil Wilberforce, D.D., R. Scott, 
London, $1.40. 

The Hope That Is In Me, Basil Wilberforce, D.D., R. Scott, Lon- 
don, $1.40. 

Spiritual Consciousness, Basil Wilberforce, D.D., R. Scott, $1.40. 

Steps in Spiritual Growth, Basil Wilberforce, D.D., R. Scott, $1.40. 

Spiritual 'Healing and the Holy Communion, G. W. Douglas, More- 
house, 25 cts. 

Concerning Prayer, Canon B. H. Streeter and others, Macmillan, 
$3.75. 

Spirit, Canon B. H. Streeter and others, Macmillan, $3.75. 

The Living Touch, Dorothy Kerin, Geo. Bell, London, $1.00. 

Handbook of Divine Healing, J. T. Butlin, Marshall Bros, London, 
$1.00. 

The Power to Heal, Henry B. Wilson, B.D., Nazarene Press, 90 cts. 

The Revival of the Gift of Healing, H. B. Wilson, B.D., Morehouse, 
cloth 90 ects., paper 50 cts. 

Does Christ Still Heal? Henry B. Wilson, Dutton, $1.50. 

God’s Will for the World, Henry B. Wilson, B.D., Dutton, $1.50. 

Our Psychic Powers, Henry B. Wilson, B.D., Nazarene Press, $1.00. 

The Meaning of Christian Healing, George F. Weld, D.D. (By the 
Author), 75 cts. 

Back to Christ, Sir Wm. Willcocks, K.C.M.G., Nazarene Press, 25 
cts. 

Hope, A. W. Hopkinson, Small, Maynard, $2.00. 

The Soul’s Sincere Desire, Glenn Clark, Little & Co., Boston, $2.00. 

Spirit Power, May Thirza Churchill, Dutton, 75 cts. 

Christianity and Psychology, F. R. Barry, Doran, $1.50. 

Washington Conference Reports, Nazarene, 1924, Nazarene Press, 
cloth, 75 cts., paper 40 cts. 


272 THE HEALING EVANGEL 


On the Miracles of Our Lord, Archbishop R. C. Trench, E. P. 
Dutton, $2.00. 

“Heal the Sick,’ James Moore Hickson, Dutton, $3.00. 

Healing in the Churches, Francis M. Wetherill, F. H. Revell, $1.25. 

The Wonders of the Kingdom, G. R. H. Shafto, Doran, $1.75. 
(contains a study of each of our Lord’s miracles.) 

Life in Fellowship, Bishop J. P. Maud of Kensington, Nisbet, Lon- 
don. 

Thought, Faith, and Healing, Mrs. Horace Porter, Allenson’s, 
$1.00. 

The Faith That Overcomes the World, Van R. Gibson, Macmillan, 
$1.00. 

Spiritual Gifts (The Charismata), J. R. Pridie, Robert Scott, Lon- 
don, $3.00. 

The Ministry of Healing, A. J. Gordon, D.D., Christian Alliance, 
$1.00. 

The Whole Man, Geoffrey Rhodes, Morehouse, $2.00. O. P. 

The Healing 'Hand, S. A. Weltmer, D.S.T., Weltmer Institute, 
Nevada, Mo., $2.00. 

The Sivth Sense, Bishop Brent, B. W. Huebsch, N. Y., 75 cts. 

The Ideal Life, Henry Drummond, Hodder and Stoughton, Lon- 
don, $2.40. 

The New Evangelism, Henry Drummond, Hodder and Stoughton, 
London, $1.00. 

A Soul in the Making, F. S. M. Bennett, Dean of Chester, Phillip- 
son & Golder, Chester, 75 cts. 

M. Coue and His Gospel of Health, same author, 75 cts. 

Our Physical Heritage in Christ, Kenneth Mackenzie, F. H. Revell, 
$1.50. 

Divine Life for the Body, Kenneth Mackenzie, Christian Alliance, 
50 cts. 

Mind and Health, BE. E. Weaver, Ph.D., Macmillan, $2.00. 

The Romance of Eternal Life, Charles Gardner, J. M. Dent, Lon- 
don, $2.00. 

Spiritual Healing, Robert Reade, Morehouse, $1.00. 

Prayers for Healing, By E. B. H., Allenson’s, $1.00. 

The Life of the Spirit and the Life of Today, Evelyn Underhill, 


$2.50. 

The Force of Mind, A. T. Schofield, M.D., Funk and Wagnalls, N. Y., 
$2.00. 

The Law of Psychic Phenomena, T. J. Hudson, McClurg, Chicago, 
$2.25. 


The Law of Mental Medicine, T. J. Hudson, McClurg, Chicago, $2.25. 

Christianity and Auto-Suggestion, C. Harry Brooks and Ernest 
Charles (Dodd, Mead), $1.25. 

The Glory of Redemption, H. W. Workman, M.A., Skeffington’s, 
London, $1.40. 

Three Thousand Years of Mental Healing, G. B. Cutten, Ph.D., 
Scribner’s, $2.50. 

The Psychology of Power, Capt. Hadfield, Macmillan, 75 cts. 

Spiritual Radio, Archbishop Du Vernet, paper 25 cts., cloth 50 cts. 
Nazarene Press, Mountain Lakes, N. J. 


GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY 273 


Miracles and the New Psychology, E. R. Micklem, Oxford Univ. 
Press, $2.50. 

The Miraculous Element in the Gospels, A. B. Bruce, Doran, 

N. ¥., $2.00. 

The Gospel Miracles, J. R. Ilingsworth (Bampton Lectures.) Mac- 
Millan, $2.20. 

Lectures on the Miracles (Bampton Lectures), J. B. Mozley. 

aby Healing, Harold Anson, M.A., Univ. of London Press, 
1.40. 

Many Infallible Proofs (studies in the miracles), A. T. Pierson, 
DD Usa acpkks See VOL oN.) Lis) S250, 

Lourdes, Johannes Jorgensen, Longmans, $1.50. 

The Wonder of Lourdes, John Oxenham, Longmans, 90 cts. 

The Finger of God, T. H. Wright, Andrew Melrose, London. 

Are There Modern Miracles? Mabel Potter Daggett, Nazarene Press, 

35 cts. 

The Law of Christian Healing, D. B. Fitzgerald, F. H. Revell, 

Work t.Cts. 

The Gospel of Life, Phillips Standish Gilman, pub’d. by the author. 
The Finger of God, Thos, Parker Boyd, San Francisco, Cal. 

The Splendour of the Human Body, Bishop Brent, Longmans. O. P. 
eprie, 0.) P. 8, He Dutton, \N.. Y., 75. cts. 

The Missioner’s Handbook, Paul B. Bull, C.R., Oxford, $1.20. 

The Hvangelistic Note, W. J. Dawson, F.. H. Revell, N. Y., $1.00. 
The Real Key to Christian Science, R. L. Swain, F. H. Revell, 

Noe es TO LCR. 

The Truth and Error of Christian Science, M. Carta Sturge, Murray, 

London, $2.40. 

Christian Science, Dean Lefroy, S. P. C. K., London, $1.00. 
Christian Healing, Charles Fillmore, Unity School, Kansas City. 
The Religio-Medical Masquerade, R. W. Peabody, F. H. Revell, $1.50. 
Faith and Works of Christian Science, Macmillan, $1.25. 
Christian Science in the Light of Holy Scripture, I. M. Haldeman, 

F. H. Revell, $1.75. 

Science and Health, Mary Baker Eddy, C. S. Pub. Co., Boston. 

Primary Lessons in Christian Healing, Annie Rix Militz. 

Training and Rewards of a Physician, R. C. Cabot, M.D., Lippin- 
cott, $1.75. 

Religion ‘and Medicine, Worcester, McComb and Coriat, Dodd, $2.50. 

Psychology of Faith and Fear, W. 8S. Sadler, M.D., McClurg, Chi- 
cago, $2.50. 

Healing, M. R. Newbolt, S. P. C. K., 80 cts. 

What Men Live By, Richard C. Cabot, M.D., Houghton, Mifflin, 
Boston, $2.50. 

The Source of Power, Theo. C. Foote, Ph.D., Williams & Wilkins, 
Baltimore, $2.00. 

These books can be ordered through any bookseller. Books 
published by Mowbray, London, can be obtained through the More- 
house Publishing Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A 24-page Biblio- 
graphy on Healing is published by the Society of The Nazarene, 
Mountain Lakes, New Jersey, and can be had for the asking. 


TRINTED IN 
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 
BY 
MOREHOUSE PUBLISHING CO. 
MILWAUKEE, WIS. 


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oh PR 
har 
Fh 





RQ 


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: 


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. 


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